Mikel Arteta denied dream Arsenal transfer window end with three deals still possible

Arsenal are entering the final week of this transfer window still on the hunt to do business.

Manager Mikel Arteta may have seen his side win back-to-back matches to begin the season, including an impressive display on Saturday against Aston Villa, but he is not fully satisfied with his squad depth. Speaking to the media post-match, the Spaniard said: “We are a little bit short.

“If we can do something, we will do it. We need good availability from everybody, we don’t have 23 outfield players and normally you have to be equipped like that.”

Such is the nature of the transfer window under the stricter Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, the Gunners are perhaps waiting on exits before they make moves. One deal they had been hoping to complete this summer was for Eddie Nketiah.

The 25-year-old does not look like he will make the grade at Arsenal if they want to be battling on all fronts and it appeared the Gunners were close to getting him out the door. Nottingham Forest looked likely to get the deal over the line but according to David Ornstein at The Athletic, that transfer is now off with the player having turned down a move to the East Midlands.

Crystal Palace are thought to be re-entering the negotiations after hearing of this breakdown but for Arteta, this could scupper another two deals on top of Nketiah leaving which would make the perfect finish to this transfer window. With £30m of ‘pure profit’ in the bank, the Gunners could have gone after one of two potential striker options.

First up is the wantaway Napoli star Victor Osimhen. Chelsea have been deemed the favourites to bring him to the Premier League but with the amount of money they have spent, you could easily see that falling through.

While his goalscoring pedigree cannot be sniffed at, it is hard to see whether he fits the profile that Arteta wants. At the beginning of the window, football.london reported that Arsenal were looking for a striker with a physical presence at the top of the pitch.

Osimhen may not fit that model entirely at 6ft1 but one man who does is Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres. The Swede was astonishing last season and he has started this season like a train too with six goals in four appearances.

He is also cheaper than Osimhen with a release clause valued at £86m. The longer his form continues to be impressive, the more chance someone else will come in and try to steal Gyokeres from under Arsenal’s nose.

Therefore a move before the window closes would have been a dream for Arteta. Unfortunately for the Arsenal manager, he may have to go without if Nketiah cannot agree a move.