Arsenal chiefs Edu and Arteta must avoid repeating Man Utd's transfer mistake

The thrashings of Leeds United and Norwich City may have handed Arsenal director of football Edu the crucial time he needs to ensure he avoids a transfer mistake committed by Manchester United.

Mikel Arteta's men defeated the Whites 4-1 at Elland Road last Saturday, before putting five past the Canaries on Boxing Day, wins that have helped secure their place in the Premier League 's top four.

Remarkably, only one of those nine goals has been scored by Alexandre Lacazette, who has been the Gunners' striker in both games amid Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's absence.

Instead, the youngsters in Arteta's squad have stepped up, with Emile Smith-Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli scoring twice, while Bukayo Saka has netted three times in the past two games.

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That form from those players has given Edu critical time that he will need in the January transfer window to finally solve Arsenal's striker problem.

Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah look almost certain to leave when their contracts expire at the end of the season, with talks over new deals for the duo having stalled.

Aubameyang's disciplinary issues also appear to have curtailed the Gabonese striker's career at the Emirates Stadium, with two years still let on his contract.

The situations of those three stars arguably makes signing a new forward in the winter window critical.

United similarly signed a striker in the summer, in the form of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

While that move has not been a mistake in terms of the goals that the 36-year-old has scored, with Ronaldo netting 13 times, it has upset the balance of the Red Devils' squad.

The Old Trafford side had rushed into making the signing with rivals Manchester City on the verge of bringing him to the Etihad Stadium.

The fast-paced nature of the move meant that the effect on United's other striker options was not taken into account.

That has left Edinson Cavani and Mason Greenwood unhappy with their game-time, with both slipping down the pecking order.

Greenwood had been touted as the next star of United's team, with the forward scoring in three successive games before Ronaldo's arrival.

But the young Englishman has only scored twice in all competitions since then, which has stunted his progress somewhat.

That is an error that Arsenal cannot afford to repeat with their own young stars, who have been the driving force behind the Gunners' rise into the Champions League qualification places.

With Saka, Martinelli, Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard in such good form, Edu must bring in a player who can help to complement those talents.

The two thrashings of the last week have shown how important it is that Arsenal's director of football fulfils that brief next month.

The starring role of Arteta's young stars has handed the Gunners' chiefs critical time, which should ensure that they do indeed avoid repeating United's mistakes when it came to signing Ronaldo.