Liverpool who do look great at the moment are a couple of injuries in certain areas away from struggling.
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I know this wasn't an 'anti-Liverpool' comment, but tbf, we've been told that since September and we're sitting 5 points clear in 4th. Also, we already have a horrendous amount of injuries. None of the back 4 that we played yesterday would get into our first team when fully fit (maybe Skrtel on form) and yet we beat the then table toppers with ease. I was surprised that we didn't strengthen in the summer, but Rodgers' rotation this season has been sublime and we're now seeing the benefit of it

You are very lucky to find a club willing to sell top players mid season.
Also players are reluctant to cause a stir mid season and demand transfers, as they stand a good chance of being frozen out after no move.
Plus a World Cup year means a lot of players don't want to risk a move.

Ffp kicking in. It's difficult to buy in January as it's a gamble in terms of what you win that season and what prize money you get. Far easier to buy in the summer.

Loads of reasons, not least that clubs are now very mindful of FFP and can't go around spending big bucks on players who won't necessarily play ever week when everyone is fit.

Plus teams don't like to sell in January, it's a World Cup year so players might not want to move since they won't be guaranteed first team football/great form at their new club, Champions League availability etc

comment by D'Jeezus Mackaroni (U1137)
posted 7 minutes ago
You are very lucky to find a club willing to sell top players mid season.
Also players are reluctant to cause a stir mid season and demand transfers, as they stand a good chance of being frozen out after no move.
Plus a World Cup year means a lot of players don't want to risk a move.


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All good points but not one person on here can justify Wenger not buying at least one player in a position that is desperately in need of a boost.

We keep hearing Arsenal are financially sound so i'm 100% sure you guys could have bought a decent striker to take the heat off a clearly knackered Giroud.

There are a number of strikers out there who would do a job for you far more than Bendtner would.

Vucinic, Bony, Lambert, Remy, Sam.

Ah, well Wenger is different. That is more down to his belief that he can replicate what he did with the invincibles in terms of their squad cost - he can't.

They are by no means out of it yet though, it depends if he is willing to drop Ozil or not (and when Ramsey is back).

can't go around spending big bucks on players who won't necessarily play ever week when everyone is fit.
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Exactly.

Imagine if Wenger or Moyes spunked their summer wad on a temporary DM and then could only afford a Bendtner in the future.

I had the best acca of all time planned for the CL games but with Aguero and Fernandinho probably out of the game it's been destroyed.

City (with those two fit) were 8/5 to win the home leg and those odds boosted the other games I had in it.

Rob, you could say the same about Moyes and our midfield when talking about Wenger and their strikers.

Fack knows what was going through their head.

It's Nasri and fernandinho that we are missing the most as Nasri cuts inside to give us the three in midfield, he was excellent for us this season.

Darren, it's in my OP

But true. FFP shouldn't really hurt United and Arsenal of all clubs as surely we're more in the black than most clubs.

Fulham had to pay £12m for a striker with a dodgy knee who has struggled for fitness and barely played for 3 months.
Think that tells you a lot about the January window.

I would agree that it was a surprise that Arsenal did not bring in an additional striker, because regardless of yesterday's result, they do need some back-up there. It could be the case that they looked but no-one was suitable/available, a bit like for us in the CM area, because as so many have pointed out, quality players are rarely available in January.

It's also funny what a difference a week can make. Most were predicting that City would beat Chelsea, and the big question was how long it would take them to reach 100 goals?! Now they have drawn 2 blanks and questions are asked. They still have the best squad, but every squad will have its blips, and this is one from which City need to try and bounce back.

All the media raving about Chelsea now, but no win at West Brom and that will change. A few are still waiting for Liverpool's bubble to burst, but they still could be kept waiting a while (and remember last season and people questionion Rogers etc??!!).

Such is the way of the football-world - full of knee-jerk reaction media (and some fans), I wonder how things will look at the end of the month.

D'Jeezus

Do you not think that in the entire world of football there wasn't one or two players out there who would have strengthened you?

Look at Chelsea. They went and bought Matic and Salah and they look a great bet for the title while you guys went out and brought in a 31 year old guy who is not the answer.

I'm not wumming but this winter window Arsene threw away any chance he has of winning the title by arrogantly thinking he was fine.

There's a team called Southampton who play great football and who with the right offer would sell anyone of their players. I'm 99% sure that players like Schneiderlin or Lallana would have improved your team.

Arsenal would have collapsed even if they'd bought a striker.

Of course there are players who may have strengthened us, but were they getable? We tried to sign at least 3 different players and were unable to get them.
Southampton would not have sold either, and Lallana is not needed, we have players on the bench at least at his level. Schneiderlin also not needed as we have Flamini and Arteta. Cannot just stockpile players.

I personally feel we need better than Arteta and Flamini, but to go all out for Schneiderlin in January would have been futile.

D'Jeezus, are you sure you're not Wenger?

That's exactly the kind of reasoning that gets him into this mess season after season. But he's a hypocrite because he then goes out and buys Sanogo and Stepanovs etc.

If Arsenal want to win the league they needed a striker who is well versed in regularly scoring goals in the PL. Someone like Defoe (believe it or not) would have been perfect to come and take over the mantle from Giroud after he was spent. Bony at Swansea is scoring every week and in the big games.

Going back to Saints, look at Lambert. He was thought of as an Andy Carroll type player but thrives in a team who play decent football. The guy would have been a great short term option.

Would you rather have a great short term option or the lingering ghost of Bendtner?

Defoe, the striker who couldn't get games at Spurs and is retired to Canada?

Bony? So we got out and spend £20m odd on an average striker who we then have to replace in the summer and end up stuck with him for a few seasons before having to let him leave on a free.

Rob, I think it all comes back to melton's point about money. Arsenal are far more interested in value for money than spending on short term signings that may help win them trophies.

As an Arsenal fan I'm surprised you don't know this.

D'Jeezus.

Like as said above, value for money seems to be the buzzword at Arsenal these days. Well, every day.

Bony isn't an average striker. I doubt he's world class but he's certainly better than Bendtner, Sanogo, Gervinho, Chamakh or most of your strikers over the past few years. Right now i'd even say he was better than Giroud and certainly someone i'd want at the end of a chance than pretty boy.

Forget the CL as you (or United) won't win it. The PL is your main goal and you need PL players who get you goals. Bony would come in and score at least 10 goals for you which might have been the difference between a 2-2 draw at Saints or a 3-2 win. And later in the season his goals might have been the difference between 1 or 3 points on a few occasions.

Would Arsenal fans want to bring in a good but not world class striker and have a better chance of 1st or use the value for money thing and probably finish 3rd or 4th?

Darren

I would rather we continued to build and progress, not look for quick fixes that fill up our squad with players not good enough for where we want to be.

Not looking for quick fixed has been Arsenal's problem, in my opinion.

It all seems so idealistic and financially driven at Arsenal.

That said, it's not just Arsenal or United that have surprisingly failed to address areas of weakness in their squad in January.

I find it equally baffling that neither Bayern or Barca signed a defender in January.