Mikel Arteta: We are planning for the January transfer window

The Gunners had a busy summer transfer window as they managed to sign Gabriel Magalhaes and Thomas Partey alongside a free transfer of Willian from Chelsea. However,

Mikel Arteta

believes that his team still needs more additions, especially in the attacking midfield position. The club is currently eyeing Salzburg’s

as a potential signing for the team’s midfield. The

boss says that despite the unpredictable January market he and his club are preparing themselves to take action in the mid-season market.

“We are planning, talking with [technical director] Edu and with the club about the things we can do in January,”

“At the moment it's pretty difficult, unpredictable as well in terms of places as we are very restricted at the moment.

“We'll see what happens, I think things will move in the market, we will be prepared, we will need to do something knowing the limitations of that market in January and the limitations we have as well to sign players.”

Arteta admits that his team has weakness in their midfield area.

“If you say ‘can they do it?’ it’s a question mark,

“Have they done it in the past? The answer is no. We haven’t had any goals from midfield, it’s not something that happened this year. It happened in other years and is something that has to be addressed.

“To change the qualities and characteristics of players is very, very difficult. So again, it’s necessary. A big team needs players in midfield who score goals.

“They need central defenders that score goals from set-pieces to add to that. If you start to lose those margins, you start to lose points, you start to be away from the top team, this is not any science.”

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