4 potential January transfer targets for Arsenal

Arsenal have made a strong start to the season and are currently sitting on top of the Premier League table. The signing of the German international Mesut Ozil has seen them look even more threatening in attack, with the former Real Madrid man already notching up the assists for his new club.

Nevertheless, there is always room for improvement and Arsene Wenger will have to plug the gaps in his squad if he is to seriously mount a title challenge this year.

Let’s take a look at 4 players Arsenal could look to sign in January in order to strengthen their squad:

Eliaquim Mangala

Porto’s French defender Eliaquim Mangala

The French defender has been one of Porto’s standout defenders during the 2012/13 season and has attracted the interest of many top clubs including Chelsea, PSG, Barcelona and Manchester City. He is a solid defender and possesses the ability to carry out the ball from the back and start attacks on his own, and he would fit in quite well at Arsenal due to his natural ability.

Porto are reportedly demanding a stunning £40M for their star centre-back but might just sell for a lesser price. Mangala is the perfect modern-day defender and is a player Wenger should definitely be looking to sign.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos

Schalke’s Greek defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos

The Greek defender is rated as one of the most promising defensive prospects in Europe right now, and was expected to complete a move to Premier League side Liverpool during the summer. However, the club chose to go for Mamadou Sakho and Tiago Illori instead.

The Greek defender is a natural powerhouse and would add some much needed steel and depth to Arsenal’s back line. He won’t cost anything more than £20M. He is an extremely strong defender but is also very good with distributing the play from behind. He would be a quality addition to any side.

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen

Moenchengladbach’s goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Arsenal did complete the loan signing of Italian goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano on transfer deadline day but the fact is they are yet to tie him down on a permanent deal. If the are looking for a quality young keeper to compete with Szczesny, then the German shot-stopper, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen would be an excellent option.

He has already been linked to Spanish giants FC Barcelona so Arsenal will have to do well to get him to join the club. The ‘keeper is best known for own goal against the USA but is a quality player and will be a coup should Wenger somehow pull of the signing.

Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez of Liverpool

Arsenal became the butt of online jokes for their £40M + £1 bid to secure the Uruguayan’s services, but they shouldn’t give up on signing him just yet. Suarez may have made peace with the top brass at Liverpool but he will want to leave sooner rather than later. A combination of Suarez and Ozil would be one that most defences would find tough to handle. While Suarez is a slightly controversial figure to have around, one cannot deny his ability. Signing him means Arsenal will automatically become title contenders.