Arsenal seem to have a busier January transfer window than first thought.
The Gunners are at the top of the Premier League again this year despite not signing a big striker this summer as planned. Mikel Arteta has built a well-balanced team capable of beating anyone.
Nevertheless, the Spaniard has not ruled out dipping into the January market for potential reinforcements. However, Arsenal will need to be aware of Financial Fair Play and Profit and Sustainability rules after several summer windows with heavy spending.
While the North London giants are not under immediate threat of breaking regulations, they can’t spend lavish money without potential sales, meaning some players could leave the Emirates mid-season.
FootballTransfers has listed five players who could leave Arsenal in January
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Arsenal are well stocked in the defensive department and yet they have repeatedly been forced to exploit all available depth due to rotten luck with injuries to key players in the backline.
However, when everyone is fit, there are several players who struggle to get regular minutes and can look for an exit to prevent their careers from stagnating. Oleksandr Zinchenko is one such star, who has seen his influence drastically diminish since his first season at Arsenal.
Already in the summer, the Gunners were open to a potential sale, and this attitude will not have changed massively for January, although Arsenal, like any club, prefer to keep the squad together until the end of the season.
Kieran Tierney (left-back)
From one left-back to another, Kieran Tierney is perhaps even more likely to leave than Zinchenko. The Scotland international is a forgotten man at Arsenal due to his persistent injury problems.
Tierney spent last season on loan at Real Sociedad, but was unable to stay fit all season, and the LaLiga side refrained from making his transfer permanent.
With Tierney reduced to nothing more than a rarely seen rotation player at Arsenal, it is likely that he will end January.
Jakub Kiwior
Jakub Kiwior is another left-handed player who could leave Arsenal in search of more regular playing time. The Pole is capable of playing centre-back and left-back, and has been a reliable player for Arteta since joining in January 2023.
However, Kiwior have found it difficult to come up with minutes this season, and have only been given proper chances to impress when players have been out of injury.
Italian clubs have been interested in the former Spezia man since the summer, and could look for their interest in January. Some reports have claimed that Napoli have already had a €15 million bid rejected, with Arsenal demanding at least €25 million.
Takehiro Tomiyasu (right-back)
The fourth and final defender on this list is Takehiro Tomiyasu. Generally speaking, one of Arteta’s favorite players, injuries have led him to spend more time on the treatment table than on the pitch recently.
Due to his recurring problems, the Japanese international has become a drain on the Gunners’ resources and they would reluctantly sanction a sale in January should suitable offers come along.
A potential problem, of course, is that clubs will think twice about making ‘suitable offers’ to the oft-injured defender, especially in winter. Nevertheless, the former Bologna star is known to still have admirers in Serie A.
Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Jesus is never not linked with an exit from Arsenal, and it’s not hard to see why. Like Tomiyasu, the Brazilian struggles to stay fit for an extended period of time, and this has led to him losing his place in the side.
Well behind Kai Havertz in the pecking order now, the ambitious Brazilian cannot be satisfied with his situation, and speculation about his future has been high.
While Arteta has labelled talk of a potential January sale as “nonsense”, it is likely that Arsenal would not turn their noses up if a club offered them the chance to recoup a large chunk of their initial outlay of €52.2 million.
Whether such a bid will come is of course another question.
