Coach Mike analyses the January transfer market and identifies five midfielders that can boost Arsenal 

Midfield is a first priority. The reality may well be loans but either way I trust the club to not go down the Cedric Soares/Kim Kallstrom road.

We would love Declan Rice to play both as a No6 and No8 even though a left eight with more natural attacking qualities would be perfect.

We’ve prioritized control this season, and therefore to fit Mikel Arteta’s ideas he would need to be two things in particular.

Firstly, he needs to be defensively dominant like Rice. There has yet to be a game this season where Rice has not come out on top of his personal duel. 

He would also need to offer press resistance if he plays as a loan pivot, completely secure on the ball.

Going forward he would have to have the ability to break lines with his passing and ideally dribbling also.

A goal threat isn’t as high on the list, but in the long term there would have to be potential for this.

The five players that can play both No6 and No8 I would have interest in are:

Zambo Anguissa, Douglas Luiz, Martin Zubimendi, Joao Palhinha, and Frenkie de Jong.

Anguissa would likely be the cheapest and cheekiest option. PL experience and a versatile one touch player.

It will be hard to get Aston Villa to sell Luiz they are on the rise, but Barcelona are always in need of money.

Real Sociedad are in exactly the same position as Aston Villa and on the rise so securing Zubimendi would be expensive.

Palhinha is a ready made and probably less expensive option as he is 28. He has more tackles than anybody else in the league and would offer security to others to go forward.

A version of this article appeared in the Gooner Fanzine issue 303. Buy it here 

See the Gooner website for Coach Mike's attackers and defenders over the coming days.