31 December 2023 , 20:32
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Marco Silva believes that failing to make the most of the opportunity to strengthen in the transfer window is "a problem" after Mikel Arteta hinted Arsenal could keep their power dry in January.
The Gunners were at the Premier League summit on Christmas Day but will spend New Year's Day in fourth after back-to-back defeats against West Ham and Silva's Fulham, who beat their London rivals 2-1 at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
Prior to the match, Arteta was coy about the upcoming winter transfer window - and he appeared to hint after the match that Arsenal would not be as active as previous reports have indicated. When he was asked by Sky Sports about signing new players, he replied: "We have to do what we did in the previous 19 games. With the same players."
However, his opposite number on Sunday afternoon offered a different outlook. The Fulham chief insisted that choosing to "stand still" this month would be the wrong thing to do when he was asked about his plans for January.
"Firstly, what a way to finish 2023," he told Sky Sports post-match. "We spoke before the match that for everything we've done so far, 2023 is a great year for this football club and it was important for us to make a statement and finish on a high.
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"If you can improve, of course you have to look for it. I think at this level, if you stand still, if you're not going to improve it's going to be a problem. I think this season is even more competitive than last year. Of course I'm looking [for new additions] let's see if we can do it from a financial point of view."
Join the debate! Where do Arsenal need to strengthen in January? Let us know here.
Mikel Arteta has played down suggestions that Arsenal will be active in the January transfer window (Getty Images)While Arteta's comments on Sunday afternoon would appear to indicate Arsenal are not planning to make any significant moves this month, a report from The Independent over the weekend outlined that they are now likely to press ahead with their attempts to prise Ivan Toney away from Brentford.
Arsenal have struggled in front of goal this season; Bukayo Saka is their top league goal scorer with six strikes with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah failing to deliver in the No.9 role.
Mirror Football revealed back in September that Toney had been identified as Arsenal's primary target, but Arteta has also considered strengthening his options in midfield and at full-back in recent weeks before settling on a move for Toney.