Is Mykhailo Mudryk The New Signing Arsenal Really Need In The January Transfer Window?

Arsenal will start 2023 top of the PremierPINC
League table. The Gunners have taken a major step forward in their development under Mikel Arteta this season with the North London outfit legitimate contenders for the title. And yet there’s a growing sense that they will need more to get over the line first.

There’s no doubting Arsenal have a starting lineup strong enough to compete with that of any other team’s in the Premier League. Even amid some criticism, Arteta has done a lot of work to formulate the chemistry between his players with the Gunners rebuilding their team over the course of the last three years.

However, Arsenal don’t have the same squad depth of some of their rivals, most notably Manchester City. This is where they must use the January transfer window to boost their Premier League title chances with Mykhailo Mudryk believed to be their number one target. The Ukrainian winger is top of Arteta’s shopping list.

Mudryk has the potential to be one of the best players in his position of his generation. The 21-year-old caught the eye for Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League and would certainly add to Arsenal’s options in the final third of the pitch. Some, however, might argue that the Gunners should prioritise other areas of their squad.

In central midfield, Arsenal are particularly light on options. Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka have forged a strong understanding in the centre of the pitch, but there isn’t much beyond those two to give the Gunners depth should either of them suffer an injury or suspension. Perhaps that’s where Arsenal should be focusing their efforts in the January transfer window.

Right back is another potential area of weakness for Arsenal. Ben White has played well there this season with Takehiro Tomiyasu another option, but the latter is also a depth player at left back. Arsenal’s defence is strong, but they are stretched tight across the backline in terms of the personnel available to them.

Of course, the addition of Mudryk would permit Arteta to use Gabriel Martinelli as a centre forward, something that would be useful in the absence of Gabriel Jesus due to injury. The Ukrainian would give Arsenal an extra degree of tactical flexibility. What’s more, the Gunners might feel they can’t miss out on an opportunity to sign a youngster of such exceptional talent.

“What I tell the players is we have to focus on us,” said Arteta after the recent win over West Ham which maintained Arsenal’s momentum. “We cannot control what the opponents are going to do, how good they are going to become or how many points they are going to get or drop, so we have to focus on our performance, what we are doing every day and what has brought us here.”

Panic buying in the transfer window certainly wouldn’t aid Arsenal and their Premier League title chances, but they also mustn’t miss the opportunity to strengthen from a position of power. Mudryk would improve their squad, yet his addition might not move the needle all that much for the Gunners.