Mikel Arteta wants to make one more January signing following major injury blow

Mikel Arteta wants to make a third January signing amid concerns that experienced midfielder Mohamed Elneny could miss the rest of the season.

The burgeoning partnership between Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey in the Arsenal engine room has provided a solid platform on which this season’s unlikely title challenge has been built.

Fortunately for Arteta, the pair have missed only a handful of games between them, but an injury to either could expose the one glaring shortcoming in Arteta’s squad.

Albert Sambi Lokonga has struggled to make an impact since his move from Anderlecht 18 months ago and although Arsenal have rejected a loan offer from Monaco, Arteta is hesitant to rely on the Belgium international should he be missing one of his two senior midfielders for a prolonged period.

Mohamed Elneny, meanwhile, proved a capable deputy for Partey at the end of last season but, according to The Times, could miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

As a result, Arsenal are hoping to sign another midfielder in what remains of the window having already spent nearly £50million on reinforcements this month in the shape of Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior.

The Gunners have earmarked Declan Rice as their No.1 transfer target for the summer and are said to be increasingly confident of beating the likes of Chelsea to the signature of the West Ham captain.

Bringing that deal forward, however, is out of the question given the finances involved and the Hammers’ precarious position in the Premier League table.

Arsenal have also been linked with Juventus’ America international Weston McKennie and the player’s agent is said to be in London today, although it appears that Leeds are winning the race to sign the 24-year-old.

Everton’s Amadou Onana and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo are also firmly on Arteta’s radar but time is fast running out if Arsenal hope to conclude complicated deals for either player.

Asked about Elneny’s fitness and possible further signings ahead of Friday’s FA Cup tie against Manchester City, Arteta said: ‘I don’t think he will be (available).

‘Obviously he had some issue in his knee that we are assessing at the moment and I will have to see how he evolved in the next couple of days. There are concerns because Mo is a player that never complains about anything but let’s see.

‘We need more cover in midfield ideally if we can but obviously in this market it is pretty complicated to do that.

‘As I always say the most important thing is that we get the performances and the time on the pitch today with the players that we have that are already very good. If there’s anything else available that can make us better we’ll look at it.’