Since the transfer window closed, social media has been awash with reports that Arsenal are set for a record-breaking summer, and that they are ready to spend big in order to augment the squad.
Fans should not believe all they read.
Instead, many of these stories have been fed to friendly journalists by the club anxious to divert attention away from the lack of activity in January, especially their failure to sign a striker.
And the news that Gabriel Martinelli could miss up to four weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in the EFL Cup defeat to Newcastle United just illustrates how threadbare Mikel Arteta’s options up front are, especially as Bukayo Saka is not expected to return until sometime in March.
In reality, Arsenal have effectively decided that this season is a write-off, that they are not going to hunt down Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, and that any further progress in the Champions League will be a bonus.
