1. Thomas Partey is on his way back

Do you recall AFCON? That fantastic competition that, while fantastic, can be damaging to respective clubs’ season-long ambitions? It’s not having much of an effect on Arsenal, albeit it did save Xhaka’s bacon.

The continued farce around match postponements is causing games to be called off left, right, and center, with the very real prospect that Arsenal may only play three games this month without their AFCON four.

Another Burnley match has been called off at the Clarets’ request, putting the Clarets’ visit on Sunday in jeopardy. If the game is postponed, Arsenal will have a 40-day hiatus between meeting Manchester City and their next Premier League fixture on February 10 at Wolves.

Even when all the parts return and Arteta has Xhaka, Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny, and Albert Sambi Lokonga to choose from, injuries and Covid absences may cause similarly depleted scenarios.

Despite the fact that there is only the Premier League to contend with, you always run the risk of limiting your possibilities. As a result, Arthur has been linked to Juventus throughout the month, and he appears to be just one Juventus replacement away from being signed off.

Is it definite, though, that Arsenal will buy a midfielder? Although it may appear irrational to believe they wouldn’t, there are reasons why Arteta might not enter the market after all.

2. Youri Tielemans & Bruno Guimaraes Aren’t Available in January

This window, Arsenal has been pursuing Arthur, but does anyone feel he was a long-term priority for the club? It was implausible to begin with, and the fact that the planned deal is merely a loan move only adds to that belief.

If someone were to come in during the January window, it would be preferable if they were summer targets who had been fast-tracked. That is not the case with Arthur.

3. The Future of Granit Xhaka Will Affect Midfield Signings

When Xhaka’s seemingly inevitable move to Roma turned into a new deal at Arsenal, it put an end to any thoughts of him leaving north London anytime soon.

He’s returned from injury and become an important member of the club, but he still has detractors among the fan support who regard him as a team player who can be bettered.