Question 1: Does the manager think anyone available adds something to the team?

You might recall that during the summer Arsene Wenger stated that he was very much in the market until the last moment but couldn’t find the right player to strengthen the team. That judgement might well pertain to the next transfer window.

I’ve regularly heard two arguments which suggest that the manager is the problem here – one that he won’t spend money and the other that he never goes out and buys the best. For me the purchase of Mesut Ozil is the only answer you need. He will spend, he does buy the best, but only when the best is available.

Question 2: What does the summer teach us about Arsene Wenger’s buying intention?

Through the summer many web sites and some rather over-eager journalists suggested that we needed a new spine to the team – a centre forward and a defensive midfielder and a central defender.

This season many of the same commentators (at least those working for the media) have changed their tune and now recognise that as the stats say Coquelin is one of the best DMs in Europe, that we have two centre forwards in Giroud and Walcott both of whom can score goals, and that Koscielny is a brilliant defender with Gabriel showing great promise.

If those three positions are still thought to be the key positions that Arsenal should look at I suspect the only one he might consider would be a young backup central defender – unless he already has one hiding in the youth squad.

Question 3: If we do find a player we want, will the player want to come into a team where he might be dependent on injuries to get a game?

There’s always talk of Arsenal’s injuries, but injuries don’t happen equally across the team, all the year round.   And can we really find anyone to improve on our first XI?   I suspect the answer in January is no, we won’t find an improvement, and if we do find a decent backup, he might well decline the offer to leave a team that he is playing for, in order to sit on the bench.

Question 4: Can we fit the player into the 25 players we are allowed in the Premier League?

The answer here is more simple than to most of the other questions. Yes we can. We have 22 players registered in the 25 at the moment, with seven of them home grown. So we have three free places, which can be occupied by a player of any age and any nationality. (We do of course have many more than 22 players registered, but the rest are all under 21.)

Question 5: If we do find a player we want who wants to come to us, does his current club want to sell?

Sometimes clubs have no choice because they are in a chaotic financial situation. Monreal and Santi Cazorla joined Arsenal for exactly this reason. Sometimes the clubs that have all the money they need will go out and buy because they can take the price higher and higher, and then move on one of their other players.

But beyond those two situations, we might not find a club so willing to sell half way through a season. And why should a club sell at such a time, unless in really desperate financial straits? Such a sale sends a message to their own fans that they’ve given up.

Question 6: Will we have even more serious injuries that will force our hand?

At the moment our injury levels are going up, but history shows us that Arsenal’s injury levels tend to go down from February onwards.

Of the current list Ospina, Arteta, the Ox, Ramsey, Bellerin and Walcott could all be playing immediately after the international break or within a week or so after that. So unless we have another rash of injuries it is hard to see where players will fit in. Indeed we ought to be seeing Welbeck and Wilshere playing in the first team in the new year as well.

Question 7: If we buy more players as cover will that affect the development of new players?

In these circumstances probably yes. At the moment I get the impression that youngsters are queuing up to join Arsenal at every age. They look at Coquelin and Bellerin and think – at this club it is possible to break through.   Of course we should never take players on just for the sake of it, but endlessly buying instead of promoting from within does harm the youth process.

At the moment everyone can see the enormous strength and power of our youth development programme: Wilshere, Ramsey, Bellerin, Coquelin, Gibbs, the Ox, Walcott… seven first team players that have come up through our youth system.

And you can be sure that there are other players who are already in the youth teams who are looking to come in. Iwobi is clearly knocking on the door. Gnabry might be having a hard time under Pulis but I’m sure he’ll back, as will Zelalem, currently at Rangers. Then there’s Crowley, Maitland Niles, Wellington, Toral… Add to that Beilik and Reine-Adelaide (who was called up to the Champions League squad yesterday) and you start to see the pressure. Block too many superb players and youngsters will start looking elsewhere.

Question 8: Will we be in the Champions League, the Europa League or no European games after Christmas?

It makes a difference. If the Champions League that is an attraction but means we don’t want someone cup tied. If the Europa League it depends if the manager treats it like the League Cup and plays fringe players.   And that affects our buying policy, if we are considering big name players ready to come straight into the squad.

Question 9: What position do we genuinely need more players in?

That’s the big question, in many respects, because the management don’t go out and buy a good player just because he is available, but because he will fit into the team it is the ultimate determinant.   I am sure there are many who want to replace Walcott and Giroud at number 9, but top centre forwards are at such a premium I doubt we will find one who can play better and score more than these two.

So when it comes down to it, who do we really need? Put like that I am not sure.

Question 10: Is the price reasonable?

Because the media and a part of the fan base always talk up Arsenal’s need to buy, if Arsenal come knocking the price goes up – sometimes so much that the purchase becomes impossible.   Like it or not, the people endlessly demanding more transfers in for Arsenal are actually making those transfers less and less likely because of the perception that Arsenal are desperate. The whole thing makes a purchase seem very unlikely.

So, looking at those questions, and the likely answers, it seems to me highly unlikely that there will be any purchases, unless…

1. None of our currently injured players recover
2. Even more players get injured.

That might not be what you want to hear, and of course it is just my opinion, but I think there is some logic in this argument. We’ll probably buy no one in January.

Sorry