Raphinha, Diaby or Zaha? The wingers Arsenal could target after missing out on Mudryk

This was a deal Arsenal were interested in getting done in the summer before it became clear that the Brazilian had his heart set on Barcelona.

Things, however, haven’t gone smoothly at the Camp Nou for Raphinha since his £55m ($67.5m) move from Leeds, with regular starts proving more difficult to come by than he would have been expecting.

And with Barca’s well-documented financial issues, you couldn’t ever rule out them deciding to do business should a tempting bid arrive.

There’s no doubt Arsenal would still be interested, but it still feels unlikely that Raphinha would agree to leave Spain just six months after getting the dream move he was pushing so hard for.

If Arsenal want to sign someone who could come in and help them get over the line in the title race this season, then Zaha could be just the man.

The Crystal Palace talisman has long wanted to move to Emirates Stadium and the Gunners did bid for him during the summer of 2019 before eventually signing Nicolas Pepe.

Zaha will be out of contract in the summer and is not expected to extend his stay at Selhurst Park due to his desire to have another crack at a top-six club before the end of his career.

So given his contract situation, Palace could potentially be open to cashing in this month just to get some money for the winger rather than losing him for free in a few months time.

Given he would not need any time to adjust to the Premier League, Zaha would be a good short-term option for Arsenal and could make a big impact between now and the end of the season.

But given the Gunners' approach to the transfer market nowadays and the age profile they like to go for, it feels unlikely that the 30-year-old would be the option they turn to, especially given the wages he would likely command.

Trossard is being offered around at present given the breakdown in his relationship with Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi.

Tottenham are interested, while Arsenal are also thought to be monitoring the winger's situation.

Trossard is out of contract in the summer and wants to leave the club, but Brighton will only let him depart if their valuation is met and they do have an option to extend his contract by a further year to protect themselves.

Like Zaha, Trossard would be Premier League-proven and he has shown he has the technique to come in and make an impact for Arsenal immediately in their hunt for the title.

The 28-year-old could be an appealing option, but a lot would depend on exactly what Brighton are asking for. 

Torres is a player Arsenal have been monitoring, with the north London club having had discussions with the 22-year-old’s agent.

Torres is currently with MLS side Orlando City having joined from Penarol in January last year. He made an immediate impact in the United States, and even scored against Arsenal during a pre-season friendly last summer.

Torres would certainly be a far cheaper option for the Gunners than a number of the potential contenders, but so far the initial talks have not been firmed up into anything more substantial.

Diaby is a player Arsenal have been monitoring for some time, and there have been some reports suggesting that the Gunners have contacted Bayer Leverkusen to discuss the Frenchman's availability following the failure to land Mudryk.

Given his age, his top-level experience and his undoubted quality, Diaby ticks a lot of the boxes Arsenal are looking for in their attempts to strengthen their squad.

But the issue with this will be the price tag. Diaby is contracted until 2025 and Leverkusen would demand big money from anyone looking to prize away their star man.

They would look at the transfer fee Chelsea shelled out for Mudryk and would be well within their rights to demand similar or even more, given Diaby's far more impressive CV.

And at that sort of price, a move to Arsenal feels unlikely.

Thuram is out of contract at the end of the season and looks certain to leave Borussia Monchengladbach.

Several Premier League clubs have been linked with the attacker, including both Newcastle and Manchester United.

He can play wide left or in a more central position, so that could be an appealing option for Arsenal, especially with his contractual situation potentially making him available for a fairly low price this month.

Like Raphinha, Torres’ move to Barcelona has not been smooth sailing since he left Manchester City in January 2022.

Whether he would be open to leaving Camp Nou so soon, however, is far from clear at this stage.

He could be an interesting option for Arsenal as he can play on either wing, so could provide cover for both Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, while he can also operate in a central attacking role.

He also has Premier League experience, which would be a big bonus for any January signing to have.

Barcelona’s financial issues mean that you could never rule anything out when it comes to potential deals, so Torres could potentially be one to keep an eye on.