Inside Arsenal's deadline day plans after six deals done and £87m player on transfer wishlist

Arsenal are sitting pretty atop the Premier League table as deadline day arrives and have already sealed a handful of deals before the January window shuts

Mikel Arteta and Arsenal are in pole position for the Premier League title after some significant summer spending. But the club are yet to welcome any new faces to the Emirates in January.

The Gunners have been the bridesmaid in the top flight for the past three seasons but are mounting a persistent assault on defending champions Liverpool's crown this campaign. They defeated Leeds United 4-0 on Saturday, bouncing back from a loss to Manchester United.

Last summer the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi all arrived, along with a handful of other key squad players. Arsenal spent upwards of £250million in that window.

In January, Arteta's cohort has not been bolstered, but some youngsters have been shipped out on loan, including the promising Ethan Nwaneri. football.london guides you through Arsenal's state of play with deadline day here.

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Six players have left the Emirates so far this window. Nwaneri is by far the biggest name, as Arsenal's youngest-ever Premier League player has joined Marseille on loan.

Nwaneri played frequently under Arteta last season, but in a bid to get him more first-team minutes he has headed to France, where he scored on his debut. Harrison Dudziak, Louie Copley and Will Sweet have also left on temporary deals.

Defender Maldini Kacurri has departed permanently. The 20-year-old youth centre-back joined Grimsby Town in January, having spent some time last year with Morecambe.

In terms of other exits, Oleksandr Zinchenko has joined Ajax in a permanent deal. The defender was on loan at Nottingham Forest but this was cut short and he has now left for Amsterdam to become the sixth deal the Gunners have completed this month.

The Gunners did not spend a penny last January and it is expected that they'll enjoy a similar window this time around. Their summer spending was significant and the club will likely not panic-buy on deadline day.

Reports suggest Arteta would only welcome players who improve his first-team squad and finding players mid-season who are eligible for the Champions League and available for a reasonable fee is difficult.

However, that hasn't stopped some rumours from swirling around the red half of north London. Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvaraz is a notable star who has been linked with an Arsenal move.

The former Manchester City striker left England in 2024 for a whopping £82m and has prospered in Spain. This move was negotiated by current Arsenal chief Andrea Berta, who spent 12 years at Atletico Madrid.

The Mail reports that a move for Alvarez is on Arsenal's agenda, though this pursuit is likely to be one that will be prioritised in the summer. This does not rule out a January assault, but any negotiations on deadline day would likely be only groundwork.

Arsenal's deadline day is therefore one which the club will use to bide their time, it is assumed. More young players could depart on loan though any big-money transfers will almost certainly wait until the summer window.

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