Mikel Arteta will be able to spend money in January after Arsenal’s “three long-term targets” have been revealed.
The Gunners currently lead the Premier League with a four-point lead, and the depth of their squad has paid off, with three wins from three games in the Champions League.
However, further additions to the squad in January have not been ruled out, according to CaughtOffside editor Mark Bulls, who revealed: “Arteta is expected to have the funds to spend this January if there are specific players he wants to sign immediately.”
He insisted Arteta “could have enough budget to work on” if he chooses to strengthen through the winter, but also revealed three “long-term goals” for the Gunners.
He writes: “Arsenal are eyeing young players such as Lille’s Ayyoub Bouadi and Bayern Munich’s Lennart Karl, and we’re told there are three long-term targets to keep an eye on, although the latter is probably not very realistic.”
“The North London giants could also be in the running to sign Barcelona’s Marc Casado, but it is once again unclear how realistic a deal is, with Chelsea thought to be further ahead in the race to sign him.”
However, Arteta is unlikely to be considering any further signings as things stand. His team is arguably stronger than ever since he arrived at the club, with several Hale End academy graduates pushing senior stars into positions.
That includes Max Dowman, who surprised Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer by making his first start for Arsenal in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win over Brighton.
“Max Dauman made the most dribbles and won the most fouls and duels at the age of 15. Oh my god,” Lineker said on The Rest Is Football podcast.
“It’s unbelievable. He (Arteta) obviously has to get the balance right between playing and defending, but to go on that stage at 15 and play and just look the right way is amazing. He looks like he belongs there.”
Lineker continued by quoting Arteta’s comments about the teenager in his post-match press conference. “I think people think they have a generational talent. Maybe England have found a talent. But you have to be a little hesitant, don’t develop him too much…”
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Then Shearer interjected: “But we can’t not talk about him, Gaz. We have to.”
Lineker added: “Yeah, you can’t do that, it’s like Ramin Yamal, we talked about him when he was 15, 16 years old. When you have someone as exciting and talented as Max Dauman, let’s talk about him. Ultimately, how well he does will be determined by how he handles this situation. And he seems like a mature person beyond his years.”
“He has to face fame at a very early age, which is not easy, but we have experienced that with young talents. It will be very interesting to follow his career and see how Arteta deals with him. As with anything, if he is that good, he will find a way to play him.”
