Arsenal is looking for a new midfielder, according to Mikel Arteta

Dharmesh Sheth of SSN reports on Arsenal's pursuit for a midfielder: "Arsenal's priority position in midfield hinges on whether they make a move now or wait until the summer. Simply to tide them over until the summer, I'm just curious whether they'll look at the loan market for a midfielder."

What Arteta has said...

Arsenal is looking for a new midfielder before the transfer season ends, according to Mikel Arteta. Here, we examine why the Gunners now consider this position to be a priority. Before his team's FA Cup fourth-round match against Manchester City on Friday, Arteta expressed his wish for a new midfielder to join his squad.

Arsenal is looking for a new midfielder before the transfer season ends

Due to a recent injury worry for Mohamed Elneny, he admitted he wants more protection in the midfield. The Egyptian midfielder was left off of Arsenal's matchday roster for the 3-2 victory against Manchester United because the club has been linked to moves for Moises Caicedo of Brighton and Amadou Onana of Everton.

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Regarding Elneny's injury, Arteta stated: "There are worries. In contrast to other players, Mo never complains about anything. "Ideally, if we can, we need to add extra midfield cover. But the market is a tricky one. However, as I always say, the most crucial thing is that the players we already have on the field put in excellent performances throughout their time there.

'Midfield now a priority for Arsenal'

"A large acquisition in this window is improbable, but midfield is one of Arsenal's key areas. It simply depends on whether they do it now or waits until the summer. I just wonder whether they'll look for a midfielder on loan in order to hold them over until the summer.

Elneny, one of the guys who would back up the three they've been using all season in Granit Xhaka, Martin Odegaard, and Thomas Partey, has a knee condition that is being evaluated at the moment.

Midfield now a priority for Arsenal

"It is obvious that Arsenal wants to try and do some business over the next six days, but it won't be simple since nobody will want to sell right now. To increase the numbers, perhaps they will investigate the lending industry. "Arsenal will seek to bolster their midfield depth by adding more players to their bench.

Declan Rice is undoubtedly in demand, but West Ham won't consider selling him in the next six days. However, when the summer transfer window opens, Rice will likely be one of the names mentioned. "Rice still has two years left on his West Ham contract in the summer, but it would be nearly difficult for him to go now. I predict that's when Arsenal will try to sign him."

"Elneny's injury has affected Arsenal's way of thinking"

Football analyst David Ornstein from The Athletic appeared on Back Pages Tonight on Sky Sports News. "What would happen if Thomas Partey were to suffer an injury is what all Arsenal supporters and club personnel fear. It will be a huge relief to know that his recent Arsenal injury record has significantly improved.

"Additionally resilient has been Granit Xhaka. Since Albert Sambi Lokonga hasn't performed well since his arrival, the club believed Elneny would provide them the security they needed to move forward with the acquisition of attacking players.

Elneny's injury has affected Arsenal's way of thinking

"Therefore, Mudryk was moved, and Leandro Trossard followed. Jakub Kiwior, an Italian defender from Spezia, was also added. According to certain reports, he can play in midfield when necessary despite being a left-sided defender. However, Elneny's injury has unmistakably altered Arsenal's way of thinking.

"We actually saw something similar towards the close of the summer timeframe when they were following a broad attacker all summer. They had earlier explored Raphinha and other players, but as it became clear that such moves would be too complicated and expensive, they shifted their focus to a holding midfielder. In the end, Pedro Neto emerged as the primary target.

Why Arsenal can't wait

The fact that Partey has been able to stay healthy is one of the key elements in Arsenal's success this season. The Ghanaian was badly missed during his time on the sidelines in the previous season, as seen by Arsenal's results with and without him. In fact, if you include the current season, Arsenal has a victory percentage of 75% in games he has started compared to just 56% in games he has missed.

He and his replacements, Mohamed Elneny and Albert Sambi Lokonga, are simply too different in quality, and the Egyptian's injury makes Arsenal's lack of depth even more obvious.

The Egyptian's injury makes Arsenal's lack of depth even more obvious

Acting before the conclusion of the January window is necessary because waiting until the summer when the club hopes to get Declan Rice from West Ham, is considerably riskier than it was.

Since Christmas, Arsenal's calendar has been quite accommodating, but it picks up with a stretch of four Premier League games in as many days at the beginning of February, followed by the start of their Europa League campaign in March. To reduce the chance of injury, Partey's load will need to be regulated, and that will only be feasible if Mikel Arteta gets his request for a suitable replacement for the 29-year-old's position.

The focus of Arsenal's recruiting in previous years has been on the long term, but at the moment—when the club is leading the Premier League and will soon have additional obligations in Europe—a temporary fix is required.

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