Arsenal Chief 'Considering' January Transfer Following Danny Welbeck's Long-Term Injury

21 November 2018 09:09

Arsenal's head of football Raul Sanllehi has claimed that the club could enter the transfer market in January, following the serious injury suffered by Danny Welbeck against Sporting CP earlier this month.


The England international sustained a broken ankle after falling awkwardly during their Europa League group stage match, prompting fears that Welbeck would never play for Arsenal again as he's out of contract in the summer.

Arsenal v Sporting CP - UEFA Europa League - Group E

Sanllehi, formerly of Barcelona, insisted that Arsenal will give their full support to Welbeck on his road to recovery, but he didn't rule out entering the transfer market to find a replacement during the January transfer window.

"That is absolutely something unplanned," Sanllehi said, quoted by BT Sport. "Yes, that makes you consider things. I am not saying that’s a green light to go to the market but we have good players in the house also that may get further opportunities like Eddie Nketiah for example.

"We need to see. We are in November so it’s a good time to start analysing what options we have in the market. We are not closing the door but it’s still not the preferred one.

"The plans were made in the summer. We are happy with how things are going. We are always going to strive to be the best team we can be.

"If there is a very good opportunity, we are definitely going to consider [it], we will see. Danny Welbeck’s injury alters, in a way, the views."

Rayo Vallecano de Madrid v Villarreal CF - La Liga

Arsenal have been linked with a multitude of players in the immediate aftermath of Welbeck's injury, including Barcelona misfit Ousmane Dembélé, LOSC Lille star Nicolas Pépé and most recently Villarreal's Pablo Fornals.

Source: 90min