BREAKING: Benjamin Sesko and Mathys Tel in, Jesus among three sold – Arsenal alternative transfer window as Stan Kroenke releases £300m to complete Four major signings
BREAKING: Benjamin Sesko and Mathys Tel in, Jesus among three sold – Arsenal alternative transfer window as Stan Kroenke releases £300m to complete Four major signings
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta could well head into the second half of the 2024/25 season without any new signings. Despite Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha being among those linked, with Ollie Watkins as the latest striker to emerge of interest, the Gunners are yet to do any business in the winter window.
With Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri all being hit by injury over the course of just a few weeks, Arteta was left light in attack and though he has regularly offered an insight into what exactly he is looking for, no additions have yet been confirmed.
“We don’t really look at the market in those terms,” he admitted this past Friday when asked about bringing in an experienced striker as opposed to a younger player that can develop.
We look at what we have in this squad and what we are lacking and what can really impact and bring something that potentially can make us much better, regardless of the age or sometimes the background that they have. It’s a real belief that that player can be really good for us over time.”
As things stand, Arsenal having any new arrivals following Monday, February 3 is unlikely but an alternate transfer window could have seen up to five moves sanctioned. With that being said, football.london has taken a look at exactly how different the last few weeks could have looked.
Signed
Of Isak, Gyokeres and Sesko, a transfer for the latter was the one that seemed most likely, given the assurances he could have been provided. This past summer, the Slovenian turned down a move to Emirates Stadium in order to continue his development in Germany.
A loan may well have been an easier deal to negotiate but sealing a permanent switch for the 21-year-old arguably would have been the best signing to make, considering the long-term factors
With roughly £45million clearly available, as that was the value of Arsenal’s bid for Watkins, RB Leipzig would have likely accepted an offer worth just a little bit more. In terms of other incomings, Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel would have arrived on loan.
The 19-year-old looks set to remain in Germany, but again due to injuries, minutes would have most definitely been coming his way had he made the switch to north London.
Sold
With two big names coming in that would have filled attacking slots, an exit in that area would have likely been required. Gabriel Jesus was being strongly linked to an exit in 2025, but a significant knee injury derailed that significantly.
In an alternative reality, the Brazil international comes away from that challenge in the FA Cup third round clash against Manchester United unscathed. In terms of other players moving elsewhere, Jakub Kiwior has seen admirers from Italy remain ever since joining Arsenal.
One of those teams submitting an offer and the Gunners accepting it could easily have occurred. Oleksandr Zinchenko is another defender linked to a departure with Borussia Dortmund wanting his services and that is another permanent transfer that may have taken place under a different set of circumstances.
