Arsene Wenger has ruled out the possibility of signing a replacement for Santi Cazorla in January.
The 31-year-old Spaniard has been missing from action since October and is set for ankle surgery which will see him sidelined until March.
However, despite his lengthy absence, Wenger says he will not be forced to look for a replacement when the January transfer window, citing the difficulty of doing so and the cover he already has at the club as his reasons for his decision.
The Frenchman said:
‘For me it (Cazorla’s injury) is very bad news’
‘I always try and avoid surgery, it creates a lot of anxiety and rehab.
‘This time it’s unfortunate that we have to draw that conclusion. He’s out for at least two months, but that could go up to three. You have the date for surgery, but not the date for his return.
‘We have a lot of midfielders. In January, you would not necessarily find a Cazorla, even if we wanted to.’
Wenger does have an abundance of midfielders at his disposal, but many will argue that they are all in the same mould and the majority lack creativity in the final third and from deep. This has been evident since the Spaniard has been unavailable for selection, with the lack of creativity in the Arsenal side visible in the past month.
Is Wenger right not to look for a replacement for Cazorla this January? I believe if he finds the right player then he should make a move for him. The Sun recently reported that the Frenchman is eyeing up a move for Dimitri Payet this January and the West Ham playmaker would certainly fit the bill as an ideal replacement for Cazorla.
