Arsenal Transfers: 5 Players the Gunners Could Pursue in January Transfer Window

Summer's transfer window deadline day came and passed without Arsenal making much noise in the market.

In the days since the window closed, club chairman Peter Hill-Wood admitted that Arsenal cannot compete with big-spending clubs like Manchester City in the transfer market (via Sky Sports).

But that won't stop Arsenal and manager Arsene Wenger from potentially seeking out new talent in the January transfer window. Here are five players the Gunners could pursue this winter.

Liam Moore is a 19-year-old defender who currently plays for Leicester City in the English League Championship and formerly represented England at the Under-17 level.

According to Metro, Arsenal and Manchester United have sent scouts to watch Moore. The paper speculates that Leicester value Moore at about £5 million and might be willing to sell in January.

The papers have linked Arsenal with French midfielder Yann M'Vila for more than a year.

In 2011, The Guardian reported that Arsenal had bid £22 million for Rennes' holding midfielder.

The rumors emerged again this summer, with the Daily Mail and Metro both linking Arsenal and M'Vila.

Could Arsenal finally get their man this winter? For now, all we can do is speculate.

With the Yann M'Vila-to-Arsenal rumors coming and going throughout the summer, some news outlets reported that Arsenal had turned their attention to another midfielder, Toulouse's Etienne Capoue.

The Daily Mail reported in July that Arsenal and Barcelona were both interested in Capoue, who has earned one senior cap with France.

Barcelona signed Alex Song from Arsenal this summer, and Arsenal have not replaced him, though the return of Abou Diaby from long-term injury has served as the equivalent of a new signing.

About a week before the transfer window closed, Arsene Wenger confirmed he could sign another midfielder and defender before the deadline passed (per Goal.com).

Wenger didn't follow through on that, but signing another defender remains a possibility for the winter transfer window.

One potential target is Montpellier captain Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. Metro and The Sun both linked Arsenal to the French international.

It's purely speculation, but some sources are linking Spain international midfielder Cesc Fabregas with a return to Arsenal (via talkSPORT and IB Times).

The speculation stems from Cesc's recent statements about life at Barcelona. In July, he admitted his second spell at the Spanish super-club has "been tough" (via The Independent).

This week, he complained about playing time after being substituted out of three straight league matches (Daily Mail).

Could that really mean a London return? It seems unlikely at this point, but time will tell.

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