Do we need to sign more players in January?

So the cupboard is stocked with shiny new players.

We did some early shopping, and we also dashed out at the last minute and replaced everything that had run out.

The shops don’t open again until January so short of a massive crisis, what we’ve got is what’s got to last us. So, how are we looking now that the dust has settled, and where do we still need to strengthen?

Goalkeeper:

Szczesny is looking like the real deal. Backing him up is Fabianski, Almunia and Mannone. I think we’ve got plenty of quality in this position. It’s a shame that we couldn’t shift Almunia on, but he obviously wasn’t prepared to take the pay cut needed to get a move. Flappy-Handski is a capable back up and will push Wojciech hard for the number one spot.

Defence:

We got Mertesaker, Santos and Jenkinson over the summer. Our reinforced back-line looks great now with Sagna, Mertesaker, Vermaelen and Santos. Gibbs will, when fit, be pushed to the limit to get in front of Santos. Sagna is an outstanding defender and Jenkinson will have to be excellent to get game time. Koscielny is my first choice back-up, and with TV5’s ongoing Achilles problem, he’ll get plenty of games. Djourou is a capable replacement and should keep Squillaci out of the team, but the Frenchman is competent enough to be emergency cover. Add to that Miquel and Bartley and I think we’ve got plenty of competition here.

However, and it’s a big however, I still think we need one more player. As romantic as it is to hope that we can promote from within, TV5’s injuries are becoming a real issue for the club. Perhaps we should have signed Cahill last month; he’d have gone straight into the first-team this weekend. With Cahill we’d have Mertesaker, TV5, Cahill, Koscielny as the first choice four, with Djourou, Miquel, Bartley and Squillaci as back up. That is real strength in depth and without that kind of overall quality, you can’t win titles.

Midfield:

Defensive midfield options are a little thinner. Alex Song and Emmanuel Frimpong are the major players in this position. Since Frimpong opted to play for Ghana, it leaves us pretty thin on the ground come African Cup of Nations time. Abou Diaby will have to stand up and play the way he does in those brief moments of quality that he sometimes has. We really could’ve done with M’Vila coming in over the summer. He’d give Song a proper run for his money for that first-team place, and Frimpong is still far too young to start regularly. He needs slow exposure to the first-team, he’s obviously good enough, but he needs time or we’ll ruin that talent.

There is a plethora of talent at the club when it comes to going forward. Mikel Arteta was brought in as the direct replacement for Fabregas. Let’s hope that he’s good enough to shoulder that burden. Arteta came with Yossi Benayoun, who looks an interesting loan signing. Add to that the exceptional talents of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, and the middle of the park looks pretty solid. Andrey Arshavin will hopefully find more playing time in his preferred central role, but will also play out wide.

We’ll need to sign a strong midfielder to compete in the central-attacking role for when Benayoun leaves (unless one of the younger players steps up before the end of the season).

Gervinho, Theo Walcott, Ryo Miyaichi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will play in wider positions. After his game changing England under-21 appearance this week, I’m sure Gooners everywhere are looking forward to seeing just what ‘The Ox’ can do, but like Frimpong, he’ll need time before he’s ready to be a starter.

Strikers:

Up front there is obviously Robin van Persie. His support comes in the form of Park Chu-Young and Marouane Chamakh. I haven’t written Chamakh off yet, but he needs to find his form again, and soon, otherwise he’ll be off playing for someone else.

This is a multi-talented team so expect Walcott and Gervinho to play up front as well as out wide. That being said, perhaps we could’ve done with signing another winger.

To Conclude:

In January we could probably do with getting another central defender and an attacking midfielder, who can also play out wide. Whether or not Arsene Wenger will do any more business remains to be seen. Only time will tell.

So, do you think Wenger needs to sign more players in January? If so, who do you think could do a job for the Mighty Arsenal?

Like what you read? Then follow me on Twitter – http://twitter.com/CannedCorpse

Visit and Join our Facebook page, click HERE to do so.

Gunnersphere is currently looking for new writers to join the squad. Contact via twitter or at Gunnersphere@snack-media.com for further details.