da poker： Arsenal could look to bolster their squad options in January, with a host of talent already being linked with a move to the Emirates.
da bet sport： While Mikel Arteta’s side have made a stellar start to the 2023/24 Premier League season, sitting one point from the summit after 12 games played, the signs are there that the title-denying cracks from last term are already showing.
Lack of squad depth was a significant factor to the Gunners not being able to win their first league title since 2004, becoming the first side to lead the pack for as long as 248 days and not be crowned champions.
Injuries to key members of the squad caused a clear imbalance of quality in the XI available to the manager, and despite spending over £200m on new acquisitions during the summer window, the options on show are already looking stretched.
Last time out against Burnley, three talents from the academy ranks were named on the bench to complete the squad due to injury pressures and lack of options, reinforcing just how vital additional reinforcements are in January.
Luckily, the north Londoners are said to be admirers of a list of talent ahead of the opening of the winter market, in signings that could determine Arsenal’s stance in the title race going forward.
Arsenal January transfer targets
If the targets that the Gunners are speculated to be eyeing are anything to go by, it looks as though Arteta and Edu are hoping to bolster the squad’s options in attack in January.
Earlier this month, a report from Football Transfers linked Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic to the Emirates, claiming that the Serbian is the managers ‘preferred’ striker target this winter.
The report adds that the north Londoners were interested in the 23-year-old last January prior to his €80m move to Turin, with the talisman still said to be on Arsenal’s radar.
Elsewhere, another attacking option has been identified by The Mirror, with the Gunners said to be ready to battle Newcastle United for the signature of Borussia Dortmund dynamo Julian Brandt.
The versatile attacker has a current market value of €40m (£35m), making him an affordable asset for Arteta to target and a player who could strengthen the squad in more ways than his own individual ability.
Why Julian Brandt would be a good signing for Arsenal
Once lauded for his “effortless” level of “elegance” in his playing style by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Brandt has been one of the most notably consistent talents in the German top flight since his emergence in 2014.
Signed that year from Wolfsburg, Bayer Leverkusen captured the signature of the versatile forward at the age of 17, giving him a platform to show his worth at senior level.
It didn’t take long for the Bremen-born ace to do so, as he dazzled during his five-and-a-half-year stay at the BayArena, which leads into why he could be the missing piece to one of Arteta’s puzzles.
Apps
Goals
Assists
25
14
0
42
21
25
215
42
52
185
36
39
At Leverkusen, the German was deployed primarily in his favoured position of central attacking midfield alongside none other than Kai Havertz, where the duo formed a spectacular partnership to cement themselves as Leverkusen’s poster boys.
The official Bundesliga site dubbed the duo as an 'unstoppable' combination, assuming Havertz the role of goalscorer, and Brandt the creator, with both talents left to enchant in the side’s formerly favoured 4-3-3 formation.
In the 2018/19 season, the partnership was fully flourishing, in which Havertz netted 17 goals and recorded four assists, while his counterpart netted seven goals and provided 14 assists, leaving the duo responsible for 42 of Leverkusen’s 69 league goals.
Since leaving the comforts of his homeland, the Arsenal forward hasn’t hit the levels he showed in the Bundesliga in the Premier League, having scored only 20 goals in 103 appearances since his arrival in 2020.
When revising the partnership and perfect balance between Brandt and Havertz in midfield, the question could be asked as to whether the 27-year-old could be the key to unlocking the former Chelsea dud’s form at the Emirates.
Julian Brandt’s style of play
Possessing the ability to play on either flank and in central midfield, the Dortmund ace is well-equipped to act as the creator in any side when sat behind the front line.
Scouting site Breaking the Lines identified the playmaker’s strengths as being his ability to play one-touch passes, his spacial awareness in midfield, his defensive contributions and of course, his creativity.
Over the past year, Brandt’s average of 0.75 goal-creating actions per 90 ranks him in the top 7% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe's top five leagues, reinforcing just how impactful his presence can be in the final third, via FBref.
Most impressively, the 45-cap German international, ranks in the top 3% of the same demographic for his stellar rate of 3.17 key passes per 90 over the past year, portraying the frequency of his creative stroke.
How Julian Brandt compares to Arsenal’s other attackers
While reminiscing on the power pairing that was Brandt and Havertz in Germany, it’s difficult to imagine just how well the German would fit in at Arsenal based on his compatibility to Arteta’s £65m acquisition alone.
When comparing the 27-year-old’s statistics this season so far in the Bundesliga, it’s clear to see just how efficient his talents are in relation to the numbers obtained by some of Arsenal’s attackers.
Julian Brandt
Martin Odegaard
Kai Havertz
Bukayo Saka
Gabriel Martinelli
74.5%
81.0%
81.6%
76.5%
79.1%
0.47
0.34
0.13
0.38
0.12
0.47
0.11
0.13
0.38
0.25
3.30
1.72
1.13
2.57
2.12
3.66
5.26
4.41
3.24
3.50
5.31
4.57
1.76
5.05
4.24
As portrayed in the table above, Brandt dominates some of the north Londoners’ best talents in the final third on a per 90 basis, reinforcing how strong of a signing he could be if added to the managers side in the winter.
In signing the Dortmund sensation – who has 11 goals and assists in just 16 games in all competitions this season – Arteta could not only bolster his options going forward, but also have the tools to potentially reignite Havertz’s form and introduce healthy competition to those comfortably in the XI.