Arsenal plans for 2 January signings could now change

The Athletic report that Arsenal had a wide forward capable of regularly contributing to goals and a midfielder to anchor the team on their shortlist for signings in the January window, before the events of the last few days.

The outlet confirm that Arsenal hold an interest in Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk and Palmeiras’ Danilo for the two positions, but add that there are other options being considered.

But it’s worth noting that The Athletic’s report is now set against the backdrop of Gabriel Jesus’ injury. If the striker is out for the long term, then Arsenal may have to look at the centre-forward position in January.

The suggestion in the article is that history suggests Arsenal are unlikely to sign a wide forward and a midfielder before adding a striker on top, particularly if that means compromising on quality.

Mikel Arteta doesn’t want squad fillers, he only wants players who could potentially walk into the first team.

So Arsenal are likely to either stick with what they’ve got at centre-forward, or sacrifice one of their original targets to sign a centre-forward instead.

Arsenal have been linked with Mykhaylo Mudryk and Danilo on a regular basis in recent weeks and months. Check out the links above for the latest updates on both.