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The January transfer window is on the horizon but Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn does not believe the Gunners will be busy despite their battle for the Premier League title alongside Man City and Liverpool
Arsenal icon Nigel Winterburn has given a prediction on the January transfer window which could disappoint Gunners fans.
The North London side are embroiled in a battle to win the Premier League title this season. They are competing with Liverpool and Manchester City in order to claim the crown.
It has long been claimed that the signing of a big-name forward could finally get the Gunners over the line. And Arsenal have already been linked with a few including Manchester United target Viktor Gyokeres.
But Winterburn – who won three league titles during time with Arsenal – still thinks his former side are good enough to win the title even without the signing of a striker.
Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football, the former defender said: “Hopefully I’m wrong and we do bring someone in to strengthen the squad. But my question would be where? People debate the centre-forward role.
“I’m a bit more reserved than some people. They were one of the top goalscorers in the Premier League last season. So that says to you, why do you need a striker?
“When we don’t score we need a striker. In the last two games, we’ve got eight goals which suggests that if we play as well as we can in the right situations, everything is fine. I think this debate is going to rage all throughout the season.”
And while Winterburn does not think a striker should be on the Gunners’ shopping list, he is also pessimistic on any business in general. He has suggested that Mikel Arteta might be keen to bring new faces in, but the January window could end in frustration.
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The former defender added: “I tend to think if you’re looking at big players and those big players are usually in Champions League teams so it’s hard to get them. They might get somebody in but I think personally that Mikel Arteta will be happy with his squad. They’ll always be looking to improve the squad but whether that would be possible in January, I have my doubts. I hope I’m wrong.”
And Winterburn has also claimed that the current Arsenal stars will be keen for new faces to arrive at the club. He said: “I think they’ll be delighted if another player comes in so long as it’s not in their position. We are ruthless in what we want to achieve, we want to be part of a strong team but we also want to be playing.
“That’s the respect you have of the manager and the club that if a player comes in, he’s going to help your squad become stronger. If there’s someone out there that can strengthen it, I’m sure that the club and the manager will do everything they can. I’m always a little bit nervous with January and tend to think in the summer it would happen more than now.”
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