If Liverpool are to challenge for the Premier League title in the second half of this season, it will certainly not be easy for Jurgen Klopp’s side. The back-and-forth nature of the campaign so far has seen the Reds, Arsenal and Manchester City only briefly occupy top spot. Liverpool are momentarily ahead but could eventually overtake them again. It won’t be easy for the team that won the Premier League trophy at the end of the season. So it can come down to what was done in January.
Klopp already seems reluctant to enter the New Year market. Asked if there was any chance of signing a new defender before Christmas, the Liverpool manager said: “Honestly, I don’t think so unless another club puts [someone] under the tree for us.”
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola is tight-lipped about City’s plans for January. “I can’t think of anything right now. It depends on whether I go or not. “I don’t know,” he said earlier this month.”Some players will stay and some will go. It depends on the size of the team. At some point it will depend on the young players we trust.”Mikel Arteta had the most convincing performance of the three main title contenders.
The Arsenal manager is cautious about the challenges surrounding the January transfer window but insists the Gunners will not miss this opportunity.”It’s very difficult now. We were really short,” he said (via The Guardian). “We’ve had a very difficult last six weeks and we’re hoping to get some players back. Under what conditions and when?“It’s a question mark and it’s also a problem to have long-term injuries to players who give us a lot of versatility.
When something happens, we have certain goals and ideas. Plus, we don’t know what our picks will be in two weeks, so we always have to be prepared for that. “But it’s a very difficult market, very fast moving and unpredictable, so you have to be prepared. We will be prepared and committed to making the right decisions. “If there are things we can do to improve the team and it should come up and we can’t do that with the players, we’re always open to that because we want to get stronger.”
Does this mean an advantage for Arsenal? That will become clear as the season progresses, but if the Gunners bolster their options with a new striker – Ivan Toney and Dominic Solanke have been linked recently (via the Daily Star ) – they could find their wheels.
