Regardless of their slip-up in the 2-1 loss against Everton, Arsenal have had a fantastic start to the season and look poised to progress past the festive schedule as firm title contenders. This looks like the Gunners’ best chance of claiming the Premier League in years, but January will be a crucial month in deciding the fate of Arsene Wenger’s side. Here are four things that need to happen in January for the Emirates club to go all the way.
Pen New Deals with Sanchez and Ozil
The number one priority for Wenger should be ensuring that his two star players are happy and willing to stay and fight for the cause. Alexis Sanchez has been pivotal in his new role as the striker and, with 12 goals and five assists after 15 games the Chilean has been involved with 47.2% of Arsenal’s goals. Ozil has been involved with 20.6% of goals but it is his movement, creativity and link-up play with other attackers that makes him so vital to Arsenal’s success. At the time of writing the Gunners are 11/2 to win the title, and those who believe they can go all the way should stake a free bet recommended by oddschecker on them doing so. If the London club fail to keep hold of Sanchez and Ozil, one would imagine their title hopes to be over.
The two players have made headlines recently over on-going contract discussions with the club. Sanchez and Ozil’s wages combined add up to less than Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba’s, and the Arsenal stars are upset about being paid drastically lower salaries than their peers. They are also fully aware that moving to other elite clubs like Manchester City, Manchester United, or Chelsea would see them earning in excess of £200,000-a-week.
In the past, Arsenal have been reluctant to pay their players such enormous amounts, but an exception may have to be made in this case. The Gunners have two of the best, in-form players at their disposal in England’s top flight and they need to show their appreciation in order to keep them maintaining these levels until the end of the campaign. Penning new deals with these players should be the first thing on Wenger’s mind.
Sign Dimitri Payet
According to the Telegraph, Arsenal are interested in signing Porto’s Yacine Brahimi. The 26-year-old has only scored twice in the Primeira Liga this season, though, and may not represent the ready-to-go player who would help the Gunners push on in their title charge.
West Ham’s Dimitri Payet (see video above) would be an option who could slot straight in, however, as the Frenchman is already well-settled in the Premier League after playing with the Irons for a year and a half. Recent reports have confirmed that should Slaven Bilic’s side fail to avoid relegation this season, Payet will be available to buy for the paltry sum of £15million. West Ham are far from dropping to the Championship yet, but they may be worried about the prospect of selling their star player for so little. For that reason, if Arsenal go in with a high enough offer in January, West Ham may be tempted to cut their losses and sell the midfielder.
Payet managed to register nine goals and 13 assists for West Ham last season when they finished seventh. Imagine the returns he could achieve playing for a title-challenging team. The Euro 2016 finalist would be an ideal creative partner for Ozil and the two superstars would lay balls on a plate for Sanchez to lap up. Payet has been involved with 46.7% of the Hammers’ goals this term, and is creating a chance every 24.3 minutes. That’s actually better than his German counterpart, as Ozil has created a goal scoring opportunity every 35.4 minutes up to now.
This is a deal that could go ahead; The Sun believes that Wenger will make a “sensational swoop” for the player if West Ham are still battling relegation in January and if Arsenal are still in the title race. Knowing Arsenal’s luck with injuries Wenger should be looking for someone who can slot into the team in a number of positions and provide strong cover for the likes of Ozil and Theo Walcott if they are side-lined.
Get Defensive Cover
Arsenal’s early knockout tie in the Champions League against Bayern Munich is going to stretch the squad, and Wenger needs to make sure he can play full strength sides in Europe and in the league. The loss of Shkodran Mustafi was a big blow and the defeat at Goodison Park was perhaps down to Wenger having to tinker with his back line.
Mustafi has been quietly solid in central defence this season (see video above) and has proved to be the ideal partner alongside Laurent Koscielny. The German has only conceded nine goals, has won 69.5% of his aerial duels and 59.3% of tackles, and has made 64 clearances. Gabriel Paulista came in against Everton and won 50% of his tackles, highlighting the difference in class between the two players.
Arsenal have been unlucky with defensive injuries this season. Gabriel, Per Mertesacker, Hector Bellerin, and Mathieu Debuchy have all endured stints on the side-lines at different times, with the German and the Frenchman picking up serious problems. But ESPN reports that Mertesacker is now back in full training with the squad after having not featured at all for Wenger this season. The manager will have to assess his options, but if Mertesacker and Mustafi are both available then they can rotate nicely around European fixtures. If Mertesacker struggles to get back in form, though, Wenger may have to dip into the transfer market for defensive cover. Keeping tight at the back is so imperative for the final push towards the title, as Leicester City proved last season when they changed to a much more defensive strategy.
Remain Calm
Arsenal have a reputation for bottling it under pressure. As the finish line comes into sight it is so important for the players and manager to remain calm and keep focused. Petr Cech’s title-winning experience will be a great asset and his presence in the dressing room will help spur on the team. The goalkeeper (see video above) has won the Premier League four times so knows exactly what is required for a title push.
The way things are going, things are looking good for Arsenal, but they need to keep their heads. In the past the Gunners have failed to pick up enough points against their main rivals. The early season win over Chelsea was important, though, as they will need to do it again to leapfrog Antonio Conte’s men. January is a crucial month for Wenger, but he has the tactical know-how to make sure his players are up there fighting until the bitter end.
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