ARSENAL TRANSFER NEWS LIVE, :Lookman £55m deal, Mathys Tel option – Next Arsenal transfer verdict after Watkins decision

Arsenal transfer news as football.london writers debate Ollie Watkins’ proposed move from Aston Villa to Arsenal

Ademola Lookman

Ademola Lookman has scored goals for fun in Italy with Atalanta

Arsenal’s late move for Ollie Watkins in the January transfer window looks set to end with them empty-handed after Aston Villa approved another transfer.

Jhon Duran is closing in on a huge move to Saudi Arabia side Al-Nassr meaning Watkins will be Unai Emery’s only available striker. Should there be no hiccups in Duran’s exit, Arsenal are expected to miss out on Watkins.

News of Arsenal’s bid for Watkins was surprising. The detail of the fee involved was even more bizarre when you consider he is 30 this year and isn’t pulling up the trees like previous seasons.

I don’t think the England striker is the answer to their problems. In some way, they’ve left this too late. My first-choice would be to wait until the summer and throw everything at Alexander Isak. He’s the best striker available to them and would cost, supposedly, £150million.

But then that means the Gunners will be short for the next six months. Santiago Gimenez is on AC Milan’s radar and could be worth the gamble at a low price. There’s also Dusan Vlahovic at Juventus and Ademola Lookman, who reportedly has a €55m (£45.9m) release clause.

The Atalanta forward would cost less than Watkins and can play out wide. He should be a no-brainer.

Isaac Seelochan

Alexander Isak should be Arsenal’s next signing, but realistically they should look toward Matheus Cunha and a loan deal for Evan Ferguson. Signing both of them would make it a very positive window.

Cunha’s versatility as a winger and centre-forward would help the Gunners cover for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus when either player is injured. If both are injured, as is currently the case, then Cunha could fill Saka’s shoes, with Ferguson up front.

Of course, signing the Brighton striker on loan will be difficult unless it’s a permanent deal. Arsenal have already reached their loan signing limit from Premier League clubs this season after acquiring Raheem Sterling and Neto in the summer.

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But if they manage to offload one of them, a double deal of Cunha and Ferguson before the window closes could make it a very exciting end to the season for Arteta’s team.

Bruna Reis

I mentioned the other day that I didn’t think Watkins would be the answer for Arsenal’s problems and I felt there were better options out there. In my opinion, the Gunners should look to beat off competition by signing Lille’s Jonathan David.

With his contract running out at the end of the season and with no sign of him signing a new deal, it’s a no brainer that Arsenal would be able to sign him for a cut-price fee. The 25-year-old has established himself as one of the sought-after strikers in Europe and the football he presents is exciting.

If Arsenal were to approach Lille over David, I believe they would have a good chance of securing his services, given this would be the last opportunity for the Ligue 1 side to cash in to avoid losing him for free at the end of the season. So far this campaign, David already has 19 goals in 32 games across all competitions.

A deal for the Canada international, who is guaranteed to score goals for the team, would be seen as a successful end to the transfer window.

Jack Flintham

Interest in Watkins at this stage of the window seems foolish considering Aston Villa would surely not let him leave with Duran nearly out of the door. The only hope that the Gunners would have at this stage is to hope the Duran deal falls through to allow them a realistic chance of signing the former Exeter City striker.