Arsenal had a disappointing end to 2023 with successive straight Premier League defeats and the poor run continued into the New Year with an FA Cup third round exit to Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners dominated the proceedings against Jurgen Klopp’s side in the first half, but were unable to find the back of the net. They paid the price in the end with a disappointing 2-0 defeat.

The north London club are currently in warm-weather training camp in Dubai and will be aiming to return to winning ways when they host Crystal Palace in the Premier League on January 20.

Meanwhile, manager Mikel Arteta will be hoping to make a couple of additions to the squad in January to keep the title hopes alive. A midfielder and a striker could be pursued in the coming weeks.

Everton’s Amadou Onana has emerged as the prime target for this month and the Gunners are said to be exploring a loan deal with an obligation to buy at the end of the ongoing campaign.

Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy could be an option to bolster the strike force with Ivan Toney committing to stay at Brentford this season. The Guinean is available for a low release clause of €17.5 million.

Let’s have a look how Arsenal could line up with two January deals.

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Predicted Line-up:

David Raya is an undisputed starter for the Gunners between the sticks. He replaced Aaron Ramsdale in goal after the September international break and has played in almost every Premier League game barring the Brentford one where he was ineligible to face his parent club.

Ben White, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are assured starters in the Gunners defence, but the left-back spot remains up for grabs. We personally prefer Jurrien Timber, but considering his long-term injury, Takehiro Tomiyasu gets over nod over Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior.

In midfield, we could see a new partnership of Onana and Rice. Onana has been brilliant defensively and has won an impressive seven duels and 2.6 tackles per league game this term with 6.4 ball recoveries. The Belgian would be a strong candidate to start in the number six role with Thomas Partey’s poor injury record.

Rice has not got the chance to flourish in a more advanced central midfield position due to Partey’s setback and Jorginho’s inconsistency. If the Gunners were to land Onana this winter, the Englishman could get the opportunity to influence the proceedings in the final third. The duo could also interchange roles.

Further forward, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli are automatic starters under Arteta in the right wing, number 10 and left wing roles respectively. If Arsenal succeed in signing Guirassy, the Guinean could lead the attack ahead of misfiring duo Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah. He has netted a stunning 19 goals from just 16 appearances for Stuttgart this campaign.

How Arsenal could line up with two January deals

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com