Following Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat at Fulham on New Year’s Eve, manager Mikel Arteta bullishly claimed they would not need new signings in January.
“We have to do what we did in the previous 19 games,” he told Sky Sports after the loss in their 20th Premier League game of the season. “With the same players.”
But as the transfer window opens, the pressure on Arteta to bolster Arsenal’s faltering Premier League title challenge with new signings will only grow.
Even more so after such a poor performance at Fulham and second loss in four days following Thursday’s 2-0 home defeat by West Ham.
By the evening of 1 January, fourth-placed Arsenal – who led the table on Christmas Day – could be five points behind leaders Liverpool should the Reds beat Newcastle at Anfield.
Not since 1 January 2022 had they lost a Premier League game after scoring the first goal – a run of 48 matches – and Arteta was left to bemoan his side’s worst performance of the campaign.
“Three days ago we lost a game that we completely meant to win. Today was our worst game of the season,” he told BBC Sport.
“The pace, the purpose we have in attack, defensively we were second best, we could not dominate and had issues because of that. We were sloppy with the ball. It wasn’t good enough. We didn’t deserve to win.
“If we play like we played in the other 19 games we will be up there [in the league at the end of the season]. If we play like today we will be nowhere near. It was a really difficult day to swallow.”
Midfielder Declan Rice added: “Very tough to take. Not good enough from us again. We need to demand more from each other.”
