Arsenal can repeat Jakub Kiwior transfer trick in January 2026 window amid Jeremy Jacquet, Ayyoub Bouaddi links

Arsenal could repeat their Jakub Kiwior transfer trick from 2023 to beat their rivals to a target in the January window, Gunners expert Charles Watts has exclusively told Sports Mole.

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that his side will be "actively looking" to strengthen their ranks in the mid-season market, despite having the highest net spend of any Premier League club over the summer, spending close to £250m and only raising £12m through sales.

Big-money signings are unlikely, but Arsenal could be alert to a market opportunity in defence amid their slew of injuries this season, and Rennes youngster Jeremy Jacquet is understood to have caught the eye of sporting director Andrea Berta.

Arsenal reinforced their defensive ranks in January 2023, when they fast-tracked the signing of Kiwior from Spezia, and Watts believes it is not impossible for a similar scenario to unfold in 2026.

However, the Arsenal expert also tempered expectations and played down any Marc Guehi-related excitement, saying: “If there's something that they really, really want to do and it looks like someone else might pop in, maybe they'll bring that forward and find the finances to be able to do this.

"They did that a couple of years ago with Kiwior. The plan then was to sign him in the summer, but they fast-tracked it to make sure that he was there, got an extra six months to bed in and no-one else was able to sign him.

Arsenal "might" repeat Jakub Kiwior transfer trick in January window

“They might end up doing something like that, whether it be in defence, in midfield, which I think is the area they're looking to future-proof over the next couple of windows. I can't sit here and rule it out, but it'll be a surprise.

“Also, if you're signing a defender now, it must be an incredibly tough sell. I saw a lot of people getting excited by Arteta shaking hands with Marc Guehi after the Palace game, but how tough a sell is that? We’ve got William Saliba playing in your position, Jurrien Timber, Ben White, it's a really tough sell because of the sheer quality and numbers Arsenal have when everyone is fit.”

Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes have all struggled with fitness concerns during the winter period, but all four played a part in Tuesday's exceptional 4-1 victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League.

The Gunners' emphatic success over Unai Emery's team lifted them five points clear of Manchester City in the top-flight table, but they were without Declan Rice through injury and were arguably fortunate not to see Mikel Merino sent off for two bookable offences.

Merino, Rice, Martin Odegaard, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard are also all either in or close to their prime, so Arsenal may look to future-proof their midfield in 2026, and the Gunners have been linked with several standout young talents.

Elche's Rodrigo Mendoza, Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi and Marseille's Darryl Bakola are all understood to be on Arsenal's list, but Watts believes that the winter window will be a "reactionary" period rather than a proactive one.

Arsenal, Mikel Arteta tipped for "reactionary" January transfer window

“Arteta always says we're going to be active in the window - last January, when Arsenal ended up doing nothing despite having basically every single forward injured, he was like, ‘we're going to be active.’ The comments that he made are nothing really new - stock throwaway comments that he just says during a transfer window," Watts added.

“I still would be surprised if Arsenal do anything significant in January. The investment they put in in the summer, the way they had to structure the Hincapie deal in the summer, painted a picture of where the finances were.

“I don't see any big sales happening in January, so I'm not sure there's going to be some sudden influx of cash. If Timber, Calafiori have really bad injuries, then maybe that forces them into market, but they've still got a lot of cover. Gabriel's back, Hincapie's worked his way back and is fully fledged.

“I know if is a big word when it comes to Arsenal, but if everyone’s fit, he's going to have to leave out so many players. The forwards are back and the defenders are slowly coming back. It just feels unlikely to me, which I know a lot of Arsenal fans won't want to hear. But I still feel like summer is when we'll see some more major deals taking place. January, it would have to be a reactionary window for me.”

Arsenal are not expected to raise any significant funds through big-money sales either, but Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly could potentially attract loan interest from rival Premier League clubs amid their lack of top-flight starts.

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