Arsenal should not hesitate to overpay for a top target in the January transfer window, but signing Manchester United's Marcus Rashford will not be a solution to their attacking woes, according to Gunners expert Charles Watts.
Mikel Arteta and co took a risk in the summer transfer window, opting against a permanent signing up front in favour of striking big-money deals for Riccardo Calafiori, David Raya and Mikel Merino.
Such a move had yielded mixed results so far; the Gunners' total of 39 Premier League goals is the third-best in the division, but their attacking weaknesses were exposed in Tuesday's 2-0 EFL Cup first-leg loss to Newcastle United, where they failed to score despite posting an Expected Goals tally of 3.76.
Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz both wasted gilt-edged chances in that game, which Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka both missed due to injury, and Watts believes that the Gunners should have no qualms about paying a little bit extra to land a top target this month.
"They won't rush into anything," Watts told Sports Mole. !They won't risk anything. You don't want to sign someone just for the sake of it. They've already travelled out to LA to meet with the Kroenkes before Christmas to map out their summer plans.
"If there's a way that you can fast track at least one of those moves to January, even if it means paying an extra £10m, £5m, I know it seems like a flippant thing to say because that's still a lot of money. But if you can overpay this month, it gets you that player for an extra six months and potentially wins you silverware, then it's worth it in my eyes.
'Arsenal are crying out for a new winger'
"This squad just looks like it's lacking. They definitely need another option out wide for me. I know all the talk is always about a centre-forward, and Arsenal do need another centre forward, there's no doubt about it. But I still look at the makeup of the squad, and I feel like they will score goals with what they've got in terms of forward line. But I just feel they're crying out for another winger."
Arsenal did not end the summer window with no new attacking acquisitions, securing the eleventh-hour loan signing of Chelsea's Raheem Sterling on deadline day, although outgoing sporting director Edu admitted that the deal was opportunistic rather than planned.
Sterling has registered just one goal and two assists from 11 matches this season, and the 30-year-old has only started two Premier League games, one of which saw him taken off in the first half against Bournemouth after William Saliba's red card.
"Mikel he likes to talk Raheem Sterling up, but ultimately, he doesn't use him on the pitch when he's fit and available. That says it all," Watts added. "If Sterling's not considered the guy who can come on and play a lot of minutes over the second half of the season, you have to go out and get another option who can play out wide, whether that's on the right or it's on the left.
"You need someone who can do that and can change the game a little bit. I do think Arsenal are a bit slow. I'd love to see another injection of pace, so you're not just relying on Gabriel Martinelli. It's really, really key, whether it be a striker or a winger, something needs to happen this window. Otherwise, I just think it's going to be too much of a struggle for Arsenal."
Among the attackers to have been linked with a January move to Arsenal is unsettled Manchester United man Marcus Rashford, who has openly expressed his desire to embark on a new challenge away from Old Trafford.
Why Rashford is "too much of a gamble" for Arsenal
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The England international is thought to have been on the Gunners' radar, but it would have to be a permanent deal this month, as Arsenal have already two loan players from fellow Premier League clubs in Sterling and Bournemouth-owned goalkeeper Neto.
While Watts is a fan of Rashford, who is also thought to be of interest to West Ham United and AC Milan, the Gunners expert thinks that signing the 27-year-old would be too big a risk.
"He's a good player, but I just think it'd be too much of a gamble," he added. "His head's all over the place. And he's never really been out of Manchester. It doesn't feel like something that Mikel Arteta would do. It's not really what Arsenal need. I hope he gets a good move Rashford and I hope he gets his career going because I like him.
"But I don't think Arsenal's one that sort of screams Marcus Rashford to me. I think he probably needs to get himself abroad, get away from England for a little bit and try and rebuild that career that's sort of stagnated a little bit in the last year or so."
The Gunners had supposedly decided that they would not be prepared to pay more than £25m to land Rashford in January, but they would have to fork out almost double that to secure another of their reported targets, Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams.
The 22-year-old has struggled to hit the same heights he showed last season and during Spain's Euro 2024 triumph, only registering one goal and three assists from 17 La Liga matches this season, but he remains on the wishlists of several top clubs.
Should Arsenal go all out for "hell of a player" Nico Williams?
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The Athletic claims that Arsenal boss Arteta is keen to bring Williams to the Emirates in January, and even though his £48.5m release clause could prove problematic, Watts believes that a player of his ilk is worth paying over the odds for this month.
"He's not had the best of seasons," Watts added. "Arsenal did want him in the summer, everyone wanted him in the summer, but he didn't want to go, so it depends on what his stance is and whether he's changed that.
"No one wanted to put down the release clause in the summer because they knew he was going to stay in Spain. Whether he's changed that opinion, I don't know, but he's a fantastic player. And it doesn't overly surprise me that he struggled a bit this season. He went the distance in the Euros then a lot of uncertainty about his future. He stayed. Does he maybe regret that decision a little bit? I don't know.
"But he's a hell of a player. And he would be a very, very exciting signing for Arsenal. So I would certainly not be against laying the release clause on him. I do wonder if that'd be one more for the summer than now. But if you can fast track something you've got planned for the summer, and it's possible in January, then he would certainly lift everyone.
"He would lift the crowd. He's that sort of player that they need, I think. Direct, runs his fullback, beats his man, he can score goals, can create goals. And he's only going to get better. Someone's going to get a hell of a player in Nico Williams."
Arsenal could come face-to-face with Rashford when the Gunners meet defending FA Cup champions Man United in Sunday's blockbuster third-round clash, before hosting Tottenham Hotspur in a mouthwatering North London derby next Wednesday.
Ben Knapton
