Arsenal alternative transfer window – 130-goal striker in, Nwaneri U-turn, £60m wonderkid joins

Arsenal's January transfer window might have looked a lot different as football.london weighs up an alternate reality

Arsenal's January transfer window wasn't necessarily as free-flowing as many fans might have envisioned over the past month. But after such a heavy summer of investment, it always appeared likely there wouldn't be a lot of business conducted in north London.

Most of the activity under Mikel Arteta this winter has instead been through the departure gate. Ethan Nwaneri left his boyhood club to join Marseille for the remainder of the season, while Oleksandr Zinchenko's permanent move to Ajax was confirmed on Sunday.

All signs suggest Arteta & Co. are content with the array of weapons already on hand at the Emirates. However, the Premier League leaders perhaps could have done with reinforcement to bolster their latest run at silverware.

In another reality, the Gunners may have splurged a little more generously in January to enhance their title ambitions. And football.london takes a look through some of the moves that could have resulted in a more successful mid-season market.

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Prolific striker signs

For all the positives running in Arsenal's favour this season, it's difficult to get away from a certain elephant in the room. That being an over-reliance on set pieces for goals which, while a strength in its own right, risks leaving the team short against certain sides.

The signing of Viktor Gyokeres has started to bear fruit, though the Swede still hasn't managed to switch setting to the goal machine fans witnessed at Sporting CP. To that end, chasing a more natural scorer from open play might have led the Gunners to Julian Alvarez's doorstep.

A proven Premier League scorer, Alvarez left Manchester City in August 2024 when Atletico Madrid paid a little more than £80million for his services. He's continued to shine in Spain and is averaging a little less than a goal every other game for Los Rojiblancos, bagging 40 times in 88 outings to date.

Despite still being just 26 years old, the Argentinian already boasts 130 senior goals for Atleti, City (36) and River Plate (54). Alvarez's style of play is in heavy contrast to that of Gyokeres, though he's used to playing in a two-striker system that could mirror well against the Swede's strong, hold-up play that fans have come to appreciate.

That may have required a significant change to Arteta's system, and one that was perhaps always unlikely in a season where things are largely going to plan already. However, that's not to suggest Arsenal couldn't be even more effective with a transition, and the squad has the quality in midfield options to support an engine-room sacrifice that would lead to more commitment in attack.

According to reports, Arsenal were considering players as makeweights to help sweeten any deal on Atletico's end. To that effect, Gabriel Jesus or Gabriel Martinelli may have been ideal makeweights for an addition like Alvarez, recruiting a prolific finisher while also resolving the futures of two players who may not be among the top candidates for extensions.

Nwaneri stays put

Nwaneri's loan move to Marseille was met with more than a little consternation among supporters last month. The 18-year-old has only been a senior player at Arsenal for a little more than a year but has already built up legions of fans convinced he's the future of the club.

Any pangs of regret were only highlighted more after the teenager scored against Lens in his Ligue 1 debut for Les Olympiens. And it served to illustrate the point that Arteta perhaps could have endeavoured a little harder to find room for him in his plans.

It's no secret Arsenal are a different beast when Bukayo Saka is fit and firing on all cylinders. It would be difficult for any club to boast another wing option of the same quality in that same position, though Nwaneri is steadily building the case that he could be just that in time.

One can understand the teenager's desire to leave and get minutes elsewhere after making only six Premier League appearances this season. It's also fair that Arteta has seen fit to rely more on senior stars in a campaign where Arsenal are very much in the hunt for a quadruple.

That being said, it's also difficult to believe Nwaneri, who has also looked very capable in a No. 10 role, couldn't have offered more at the Emirates this term. And with Mikel Merino's recent injury reminding of just how swiftly options can be shortened, there may soon come a time when the Gunners wish they hadn't sent such a talent elsewhere, regardless of his age.

Rice understudy joins

Speaking of squad depth and rotation, part of Arsenal's remit right now should be centred around building for the future. So while the current iteration is high in the running for multiple titles, the second part of the plan must focus on sustaining any success.

In that regard, finding a Declan Rice alternative who doesn't threaten the Englishman's status in the squad at all should be key. And the club could do a lot worse than Lille starlet Ayyoub Bouaddi, who has already made 80 senior appearances at just 18 years of age and has been strongly linked with a move to north London of late.

That puts the Frenchman ahead of schedule compared to Rice, who made around 50 first-team appearances for West Ham by the time he turned 20. And just like his Arsenal counterpart, the 6'1" star is more defensively oriented at the base of Lille's midfield but has shown shades of a player who can contribute more advancing the ball.

It was indicated during January that Lille could demand a fee of around £60m if they were to sell the player. That aligns with the figure Manchester United paid for his former team-mate, Leny Yoro, as well as Jeremy Jacquet's deal to join Liverpool in the summer.