Arsenal's midfielders have always been in the Africa Cup of Nations, or suspended, or suffered from the new crown and or a transfer in January this year, and the loss of both games can be attributed to the thinness of this position.
Arsenal saw Parti and Ernenni go to the Africa Cup of Nations, Sciacca tested positive for Covide, and Niles was allowed to go on loan to Roma, despite the role's shortcomings. In the League Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool, Sciacca and Parti were also sent off.
Arsenal have not won a single victory this month and will not play until 10 February, when all but Maitland Niles will return.
However, the club have been linked to many options in midfield, including Juventus' Arthur Melo. However, Sport newspaper reported that Edu had proposed an agreed 18-month loan offer with a €40 million purchase option, which Arsenal executives were not keen on, leading to a stalled deal.
The Gunners are also linked to Lyon's Bruno Guimarães, however Newcastle United are currently the most popular among Brazilians, much to the dismay of many Arsenal fans.
According to the Evening Standard, the most recent transfer-related player is Douglas Luiz of Aston Villa. He has 18 months left on his contract at Villa Park and his future remains uncertain.
The Telegraph's John Percy reported that there were a lot of other clubs interested, including a rejected £30m offer, not from Arsenal, which sparked contract talks with the midfielder in hopes of keeping him.
That said, Villa is in talks with Juventus to sign midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, who will be a suitable replacement.
If Arsenal offer the player a deal that could get him out of Birmingham, it would follow Arteta's idea of signing quality Premier League talent at a young age.
Aaron Ramsdale and Ben White have come here for a total price of around £74 million and have both become the backbone of the first team.
Rumsdale had driven Bernd Leno to the top man position in a matter of weeks, and White had easily overtaken Rob Holderin as the starting right-centre-back. He also played as a right-back against Norwich City and Burnley.
Adding Luis to the team would represent another move in the same vein. However, considering Aston Villa's intention is to close the gap with Arsenal in the near future, this will be a step forward.
The Wielans defeated Arsenal in the summer to sign Amy Buendía, who had also repeatedly refused to bid on Him before Emil Smith Rowe renewed his contract with Arsenal.
The competition between the two sides is intensifying, especially among supporters on social media. Stealing Luis would be tricky, but if Edu can sell the player to Arsenal, it will represent a major win for North London and a big blow to Villa's ambitions.