Arsenal may soon confirm signings imminent as Edu weighs up decision

Arsenal technical director Edu Gaspar may soon make a decision which could indicate that the club are looking to bring in some new faces in January – with fringe player Marquinhos set for a loan move away. 

The 19-year-old winger was signed by the Gunners from Sao Paolo in the summer, but has so far made just five senior appearances. Marquinhos came off the bench for his debut in the 2-1 Europa League win against FC Zurich in September, starring in an impressive cameo in which he scored and created an assist.

Yet since then he has only been seen in brief glimpses, and it appears manager Mikel Arteta believes the talented youngster needs more first-team experience before he can nail down a regular place in his starting XI.

It remains to be seen whether any other teams come in for Marquinhos, but if he is indeed sent away, it will surely suggest that Arsenal are ready to splash out in the transfer window, especially given a hectic fixture schedule after the World Cup which sees them involved in three competitions.  

The north Londoners have recently been linked with moves for the likes of Facundo Torres of Orlando City and Shakhtar Donetsk’s promising wide man Mykhailo Mudryk. And one or both of those players’ arrival could be just what the Gunners need in order to maintain their push for the Premier League title.

Arteta spoke about his side’s plans for the upcoming window following their disappointing 3-1 defeat to Brighton in the third round of the Carabao Cup. The Spaniard said: “It’s the same squad as when we win. I said from day one that we have a short squad because at the end we left some players. It’s what we have.

“If everyone’s available and no one is injured we are OK, but the moment there is, we know what it is.

“It’s nothing new. I think I said it the first day after the transfer window. That’s a window that is open [in January] and we’ll have to discuss the opportunities that we have, the capacity that we have for any changes and be on the market for opportunities.

“Because we don’t know what’s going to happen the last game before the World Cup. So it’s a lot of options that are open.”