Mikel Arteta handed perfect Arsenal January signing to set up dream summer striker addition

The transfer window is closed and although talk has turned to potential free agents that Premier League clubs could sign, some focus is already looking ahead to the January market where clubs like Arsenal might look to strengthen. The Gunners ended the summer period in a net positive in terms of spending and sales supported by add-ons and sell-on clauses from other deals.

There is no hiding that there is a healthy financial position to consider moves and potentially marquee options, particularly after this current season and into next summer. However, one player who was considered as recently as last month but never progressed into a formal move according to the Mail is Bryan Mbeumo.

The Brentford forward has been an excellent contributor for the Bees, especially in the absence of Ivan Toney for the majority of last season and after his exit to Saudi Arabia last week, the Cameroonian forward has continued to carry the front line. Three goals in three games at the start of the new season have seen Mbeumo pick up from where he left off.

He scored nine goals and got six assists last season in 25 games, suffering an ankle injury which put him out of action from December to March. The injury certainly dented his momentum from the beginning of the campaign which landed him seven of his nine goals before Christmas.

With a strong start this time around again, should he avoid another repeat of a fitness complaint, he could be primed for a step up in an upcoming window. January presents Arsenal with the perfect time to make that move a reality.

Mbeumo looks an almost perfect fit and makes it little surprise why the news that the Gunners were considering talks utterly unsurprising. He can play either through the middle or on the right-hand side and after Arsenal allowed Eddie Nketiah to leave without replacing him, Mbeumo could bring the depth to the centre-forward role they’ve been missing.

Even better, a move wouldn’t prevent Arsenal from looking for a marquee striker in the summer of 2025 because as the loan of Raheem Sterling comes to a completion, Mbeumo simply fills the role of a wide option that was occupied by the Chelsea loanee. Sterling has looked strong in training but even should he have a great season, he will be 30 next summer and Chelsea still have two years left on his deal which includes a wage the Gunners are paying only a fraction of at the moment.

Being left-footed too, Mbeumo could be the natural competition for Bukayo Saka that the club has been lacking too. Bringing in a Viktor Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko in 2025 might limit minutes for Mbeumo through the middle – or perhaps not depending on how he performs – but doors would open elsewhere which would make him a shrewd piece of business to consider similar to that of Leandro Trossard which in itself has turned out excellently.

The question would be how much would Brentford be looking for? After demanding a big fee for Toney initially, interest waned and now he is playing in Saudi Arabia and therefore they may again look to slap a big price tag on Mbeumo which could scupper what seems a perfect plan for Arsenal.