Arsenal target three ‘gems’ as Arteta’s €120m January transfer war chest confirmed

Robin Bairner

Updated: 3 Nov 2025 14:27 GMT
4 min read

Arsenal are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League, but manager Mikel Arteta is hungry to strengthen his squad further and is eyeing up three wonderkid signings having been given €120 million to spend ahead of the January transfer window.

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The Gunners eased to a 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday, which keeps them six points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League standings, but Arteta is hungry for more.

CaughtOffside announced on X that there will be around €120m for the manager if he wants to dip into the market.

The report states that an anonymous source explained: “I’d expect money to be there for Arteta this January if he wants to spend, but at the moment everyone is pretty happy with what the changes over the summer have brought to the squad.”

Transfer expert Mark Brus did not put a figure on Arteta’s funds but did indicate that the Arsenal manager will be backed in the market if he wants it.

“For now, it would not really be accurate to talk about a set ‘budget’ being made available to Mikel Arteta. I know a figure of £100m has been doing the rounds, but my understanding is that it rarely works like that,” he said.

“Sources in the industry are all saying the same thing, though, and that’s that Arsenal’s financial situation is good. They’re confident the money is there for more significant signings in 2026.”

© IMAGO - Mikel Arteta: Recruiting from a position of strength

Arteta hones in on three wonderkids

Arsenal are not necessarily looking to sign players to break into their first team, which is looking both strong and settled, but they are after players who could challenge to start in a year or two.

The North London side is among a gathering glut of teams looking to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, according to Fichajes, which also says that Arsenal are following Marc Casado and Bayern Munich breakout star Lennart Karl.

Of this trio, Bouaddi looks by far the most attainable, yet the 18-year-old still has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €35m.

Arsenal, though, are unlikely to force through any of these deals in January if they are not given a good price as they feel comfortable with their current squad.

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