Arsenal's Striker Search: Ollie Watkins Transfer and Deadline Day Realities

As the transfer window nears its deadline, Arsenal's search for a striker continues to be one of the main discussion points. Recently, Mikel Arteta's side boosted morale with an important win over Manchester City, yet their search for a new striker moves into the final hours of the window.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been speaking of the need for a striker to strengthen the squad. He remains focused on securing the right player, but the complexities of the transfer market mean that any move is not guaranteed. Ahead of the match against City, Arteta made comments about the ongoing search for reinforcements, which acknowledged that while the club was exploring every option, any potential deal involves multiple parties.

"I am very confident in the work that the club is doing, exploring every single possibility that could impact the team," Arteta said. "If we can agree on something, we will do it. If not, we won't. Our intentions are clear, but the possibilities depend on many factors."

However, Arteta's tone after the win over City sounded somewhat different. About the transfer deadline looming large: "I don't know, my phone is off with the transfer window open. My only focus was entirely on preparing the match against City."

Arsenal made an initial approach for Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins last week, but it was swiftly rejected. Their proposal, well below the £60 million mark, did very little to appease Villa's demands. That didn't seem to dampen the interest of Arsenal, though. The fact that Villa chose not to sell Watkins was partly underlined when Villa had sold Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr, as manager Unai Emery firmly stated that Watkins would not be sold.

That doesn't mean Arsenal won't try elsewhere. Another alternative could be Bayern Munich's young forward Mathys Tel, who has been attracting interest from a number of clubs, including Arsenal. Though he once turned down a chance to join Tottenham, Tel may weigh his options seriously next summer, leaving Arsenal to wonder if they can sign him in the future.

While Brighton's Evan Ferguson is a striker with whom Arsenal reportedly had an interest in loan, the rules against such a transaction in the Premier League will serve to thwart an Irish move across London. For Arsenal, bringing in both Raheem Sterling and Neto already has placed them at a full loan allotment, ultimately ruling out being able to offer Ferguson a loan deal.

With the clock ticking down toward deadline day, Arsenal's search for a new striker is still uncertain, and Arteta is keeping all his options open. The Gunners are poised to react to any last-minute developments, but only time will tell if they can get their man in before the window closes.