Arsenal transfer news: Arsenal enter the November international break as reigning champions, six points clear at the top of the Premier League, with nine wins from 10 games and seven clean sheets. Their last two league victories, at Anfield and against Hull on Saturday, both finished 1-0, which says plenty about an attack that wins matches without ever running away with them.

The summer sales of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus explain much of that. Christos Tzolis was the only forward to arrive, and he picked up an injury on Greece duty. Kai Havertz, the Premier League’s highest-scoring German, has led the line for most of the campaign, scoring the winner at Liverpool, with last season’s 21-goal top scorer Viktor Gyökeres behind him, while Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze have filled the wide spots, particularly with Bukayo Saka missing games recently.

Mikel Arteta wants two forwards in January, a left-sided attacker and a centre-forward, and his brief centres on pace, creativity and carrying the ball through tight spaces. Arsenal explored Julián Álvarez, Vinícius Júnior and Morgan Rogers over the summer without landing any of them, so the market has already tested their patience. A four-man shortlist of wingers has now emerged.

Why Bournemouth hold the cards

The Independent reports that Eli Junior Kroupi leads that list, ahead of Alex Baena, Endrick and Antonio Nusa. Bournemouth are unlikely to sanction the 20-year-old’s January exit, so Arsenal may pursue alternatives and return next summer, when an £80m to £100m valuation will meet Manchester United’s interest.

Kroupi’s 13 league goals last season set a teenage record, and FotMob ranks his shot volume in the 95th percentile of attacking midfielders and wingers. Yet he sits in the bottom 15 per cent for touches and chances created, and has mostly played off the bench since returning from a fractured foot, with Marco Rose admitting he is not fully fit.

Arsenal transfer news: Should Arsenal wait until summer for Kroupi?

Yes, Arsenal should resist a January raid. Paying £80m or more for a player who has barely featured, against a seller under no pressure, hands Bournemouth the leverage. Arteta needs a left winger who carries the ball at pace, and Kroupi’s low-touch numbers describe a penalty-box finisher who relies on service. January should bring a ready-made winger, such as Baena or Nusa, while Kroupi waits for summer, after a full run of starts. He answers who scores for Arsenal in 2027, not who carries the ball on the left in February.