According to two separate reports from The Express this afternoon, chief scout Brian McDermott has revealed Arsenal are unlikely to sign anyone in January, whilst Barcelona are reportedly targeting Chelsea striker Diego Costa.
Arsenal came under fire for finishing the summer transfer window as the only club not to sign an outfield player, their solitary signing coming in the form of £10million goalkeeper Petr Cech, and some have suggested Arsene Wenger will look to add to his squad in January instead.
In the last few days, the Gunners have been linked with Juventus defender Daniele Rugani, former Blackburn Rovers flop Anthony Modeste and Barcelona youngster Sergi Samper to name a few.
But former Reading and Leeds United manager Brian McDermott, now operating as the Gunners’ chief scout, has suggested manager Arsene Wenger is unlikely to splash the cash in the new year.
As quoted by The Express, he told Sky Sports; “The manager won’t spend unless he thinks it’s absolutely necessary. The scouting structure at Arsenal is phenomenal. We all know who the top strikers in the world are. Can you get them to come? They won’t be available in January that’s an absolute certainty.”
Meanwhile, The Express claim in a separate report that Chelsea’s star striker Diego Costa, who helped fire them to the Premier League title with 20 goals in 26 appearances last season, has emerged as a potential Barcelona target.
Citing Spanish publication Don Balon, they claim Barca boss Luis Enrique is a huge fan of the Spain international and most particularly his ability to ‘war’ with opposition defenders.
He’d certainly offer some variety compared to current forward options Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez but the west London outfit are unlikely to sell.