The Thursday night transfer deadline is fast approaching and it still remains to be seen whether Arsenal will decide to dip back into the market for one final time. There’s no doubt that they want to, Mikel Arteta has said as much countless times in recent weeks. But when it comes to the transfer window, wanting to do something and actually being able to do it are two very different things. For the second successive season, Arsenal have spent big without bringing in any sort of significant revenue from the market themselves. Club sources continue to insist that is not a problem and that there are no issues surrounding Financial Fair Play regulations, there is an acceptance that spending on that level can’t go on forever. With injuries now beginning to have an impact, especially in midfield, the question posed is, how big of a risk will it be if the Gunners do opt against bringing in at least one further addition?

The majority of Arsenal players believe that a central midfielder and a winger are a necessity if the club is truly going to compete on all fronts this season. Both areas have been on consideration to be strengthened even from the hierarchy of the club. Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans has been a long-term target, but so far Arsenal have opted against making an official offer. They have been talking behind the scenes for months with his representatives though. Raphinha was also targeted before he made his move to Barcelona from Leeds. The Gunners have now set their eyes on Wolves’ Pedro Neto who they are monitoring. On the agenda is also Shakhtar Donetsk's Mykhaylo Mudryk. Despite their interest on these players and even having had discussions with their representatives, Arsenal have constantly been put off by the asking prices their current clubs are demanding. 

As is always the way during the latter stages of the transfer window, a game of poker emerges between clubs over potential deals. it is always a case of who will blink first. But in January, the Gunners showed that they will not just do things for the sake of doing them. They were under immense pressure to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who had fallen out with Mikel Arteta but they decided to wait because they couldn’t find a deal they believed was right. Even with Nicolas Pepe having been allowed to join Nice on loan, it will not be a surprise to see Arsenal repeat the same thing they did back in January when Auba left. On asked whether Arsenal would replace Pepe before the close of the transfer window, Arteta had this to say; “If we can implement the plan that we have, we will try to do that. In the plan, that [Pepe’s loan move] was something that could happen - now it’s a reality and we’ve been preparing the last two months in order to achieve what we want. Whether that’s possible or not, we will see. At the start of the window, we signed players before getting other players out. Now we’ve done something different. We’ve let a player go and will maybe be able to recruit somebody. But it’s not a guarantee because the player is still not here. What I guarantee is the day that window closes, for me, this is the best team in the world and I will try to get the best out of them." 

The work that Arsenal have done during the present transfer window has no doubt improved their first XI. The return of William Saliba following his loan spell with Marseille has added even further depth to Arteta’s options while Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have added real quality. Arsenal are now currently at the top of the Premier League table and still have a few hours left to better their squad in order to continue being at a competitive level or they will have to wait until the next transfer window in January.