Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that he will “do what is needed” in the January transfer window to cope with the absence of Francis Coquelin.
Speaking in a press conference on Monday, as reported by BBC Sport, the Frenchman confirmed that the midfielder will be sidelined for up to three months and so that could force his hand in the transfer market.
However, he then played down optimism of an arrival by insisting that he still has faith in the players currently at his disposal.
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Given the lack of movement in the market in the summer, with Petr Cech being the only notable signing, the early frustration has dissipated at the club given the start to the season that the Gunners have made.
Although they remain on the brink of an early elimination from the Champions League with two games remaining in the group stages, they have made a relatively good start to the Premier League campaign and sit just two points adrift of current leaders Leicester City.
While they did suffer a disappointing loss to West Bromwich Albion last weekend which saw them miss out on the chance of moving clear at the top of the table, they will now hope to bounce back when they host Dinamo Zagreb at the Emirates on Tuesday night.
However, some are looking towards the January transfer market already as the Gunners continue to struggle with injuries. Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and now Coquelin amongst others have had issues in recent weeks, and that in turn has tested the depth in the squad.
That undoubtedly led to Wenger conceding that he may need to act in the transfer window, as the last thing that the French tactician wants mid-way through the campaign is for his side to lose their momentum and fall short of winning silverware.
It remains to be seen whether or not the options currently at his disposal, including Mathieu Flamini, will be enough to cover the loss of Coquelin, or whether he opts to bring in another player if the deal is right from an Arsenal perspective.
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