Arsene Wenger now has to splash the cash in January - and van Nistelrooy should be his number one target

By Steve Stammers

Published 05:03 02/12/09

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Mathematically, Arsenal can still win the Premier League. Realistically, the emphatic fashion in which they were beaten by Chelsea at The Emirates on Sunday means that their hopes rest on a collapse at Stamford Bridge and a similar catastrophe at Old Trafford. And basically that is not going to happen.

The face of Arsene Wenger over the last two weeks has said it all. There was a genuine belief at the club this season that this could be their year in the competition that Wenger makes his priority every season - the Premier League. What he needed was for his share of luck with injuries when the dice was rolled. He lost.

In Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner he had the perfect foil for the nimble skills of Eduardo, Samir Nasri, Carlos Vela and Andrei Arshavin. To lose them both at the same time was a blow from which Arsenal are struggling to recover.

Now he has a significant decision to make. Wenger loathes having to pay over the odds. Financial prudence is his ethos - but right now he must be regretting his decision not to enter the bidding for Roque Santa Cruz. Yes, at £18 million the Paraguyan was over-priced. He also refused to up his £8 million offer for Bordeaux front man Marouane Chamakh. But how Arsenal could have done with either at The Emirates on Sunday.

Eduardo has pace but no real physical presence. Arshavin the same. Vela the same. Theo Walcott the same. Nothing to intimidate John Terry or Ricardo Carvalho there.

Indeed, Terry was so comfortable that he was able to surge upfield to make his contribution to the opening goal by Didier Drogba. His adventurous streak would have been curtailed if Santa Cruz or Chamakh had been there. Now Wenger will have to change the habits of a lifetime in next month's January transfer window. Players are out there - not as many as in the summer but they are available.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, for instance. He has a hate figure to the Arsenal crowd during his time at Manchester United and his wages would be sky-high. But he has the size and the experience to make a difference to the Arsenal front line and he is a peripheral figure at Real Madrid.

Yes, his injury record does not stand up to greatest scrutiny but surely a pay-as-you-play deal is not out of the question.

Van Persie - who was in contention for Player of the Year before he was injured in that meaningless international friendly against Italy - will not be back until late March at the earliest.

If Bendtner suffers another injury, Arsenal will be in the same predicament as they are now. All pace and panache, little physique.

It may go against the grain, but Wenger may have to splash out to the revive a season that promised so much but is in danger of fizzling out.

The cash is there. Now comes decision time.

Who do you think Arsene Wenger should buy in January? Let us know by leaving a comment below...

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