There has been clamour for a new No.9 at the Emirates, but a central midfielder is equally important to keep their dwindling title challenge alive

“At the moment it does not look realistic. What my job is, and what we have to do is improve our players and try to get better results with the players we have.” That was Mikel Arteta’s stark response to questions about whether Arsenal would sign a striker in January.

Amid an untimely bout of goal-shyness and another injury to Gabriel Jesus, there have been calls to bring in a new, big-money No.9 – but primary targets such as Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen of Napoli would command a fee of around £100 million ($127m) and have drifted out of reach, until the summer at least.

However, with the likelihood that Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and – when fit – Jesus will rediscover their firepower in the second half of the campaign, Arteta may well have other priorities in January. While their attack has faltered, the Gunners’ midfield deficiencies have been exposed in recent weeks, too, with Declan Rice’s performance levels finally dipping as he strains under the weight of so much responsibility.

Thomas Partey has mustered just five appearances all season as he continues to be plagued by injuries and he has been persistently linked with an exit, while it has become evident that Kai Havertz, Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny simply aren’t good enough to be relied upon in the centre of the park for a team trying to maintain a title challenge.

With that in mind and a striker off the cards, GOAL assesses the midfielders Arsenal could instead sign in January…

• • GettyAmadou Onana (Everton)It’s been reported that Arsenal are already engaged in talks over Onana, although he is valued very highly by Everton, who would be loathe to lose the Belgian mid-season amid a relegation dogfight following their 10-point deduction.

    Nevertheless, the Gunners may view the January window as an opportunity to steal a march on their rivals and sign the 22-year-old, avoiding a bidding war and inflated price tag in the summer.

    In terms of profile, he is very similar to Rice – at his strongest in the defensive third but also capable of making rangy forward runs and progressing the play – so Arsenal might prefer someone who offers something a bit different. If Everton really are demanding the touted £90m ($115m) transfer fee, that would render the deal unlikely.

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• GettyDouglas Luiz (Aston Villa)A long-term Arsenal target, Luiz is in the form of his life with Aston Villa flying high in the Premier League. The Gunners will be kicking themselves for not following through on their interest in past windows, with the Brazilian likely to come at a premium this month.

  Luiz has found his goal-scoring touch under Unai Emery having long been a solid Premier League midfielder, and he played a key role in guiding the Villans to second in the table at the midway point in the campaign.

  Despite being a ready-made upgrade on Arsenal’s other options behind Rice, the north Londoners are financially hamstrung by their huge summer outlay and would undoubtedly struggle to bankroll a January move for a player whose value has never been higher.

  The 25-year-old will surely be desperate to see Villa’s unlikely title push through ’til the end, too.

• Getty ImagesMartin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad)A deep-lying option whose value may be considered just about within budget for the cash-strapped Gunners, Spanish defensive midfielder Zubimendi would be the perfect foil to the marauding Rice.

  He has excelled as the pivot in a Real Sociedad side that has reached the last 16 of the Champions League and has even made five handy goal contributions from the base of midfield in La Liga. A classy passer with both feet, he would certainly fit Arteta’s vision – a manager who, like Zubimendi, hails from San Sebastian and has also played for La Real.

  What’s more, the 24-year-old’s release clause is set at a relatively affordable €60m (£52m/$66m). The problem, though, could be the player’s will mid-season. Addressing transfer talk last year, he said: “Rumours, rumours, because I told my agent that I didn’t want to hear anything, especially in winter.”

• GettyJoao Palhinha (Fulham)A true midfield destroyer, Palhinha’s presence would certainly unshackle Rice – with the Portugal international more than happy to do the dirty work.

  In another world he would already be a Bayern Munich player, but in the months since his £60m ($76m) deadline-day move collapsed, the Bavarians’ interest has gone cold. That means there could be an opportunity to take the Portugal international across the capital this month.

  It’s hard to imagine that Palhinha’s desire to move on has waned in the first half of the season, with Fulham going nowhere fast in the Premier League, and he is clearly ready to step up to the top level at 28. Cost will once again be the main barrier, though.

• Getty ImagesBruno Guimaraes (Newcastle)Arsenal, among others, will be on red alert after Newcastle admitted they may be forced into selling their star players to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, after posting eye-watering losses of £73.4m ($93.6m) for the last tax year.

  Striker Alexander Isak will probably be the man in their crosshairs, but the Gunners should give serious consideration to signing key midfielder Guimaraes if the opportunity arises – a player who has emerged as the ideal combative, box-to-box Premier League midfielder.

  Arsenal were priced out of a move for the Brazilian in January 2022 as he signed for Newcastle instead, but they could now take advantage of the Magpies’ financial predicament by landing him for less than his £100m ($127m) release clause.

  However, there is competition from big-spending Paris Saint-Germain, and this is still not necessarily a deal the north London club could afford in January.

• Getty ImagesMorten Hjulmand (Sporting CP)Arguably not the most polished player on this list, but Hjulmand is cut from the same cloth as Rice and has taken to life at Sporting like a duck to water following his summer switch from Lecce in Serie A.

  The Dane sits at the base of the midfield, and is adept at retrieving the ball and launching attacks with his expansive passing range, demonstrating some exciting potential given he is just 24.

  However, any hope that Hjulmand might come cheaper than some of his more illustrious counterparts might be misplaced. Manchester United are said to be interested in him, but have supposedly been pointed in the direction of his exorbitant £69m ($88m) release clause. That would be above budget for Arsenal, especially for a left-field option.