We've enlisted the help of Football Manager 26 to simulate Arsenal's deadline day, with some interesting results
Liam Ryder Digital Production Editor
07:00, 02 Feb 2026
Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus has been out of action since January
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Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus has been linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium(Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal are enjoying a dream season, and have their best chance of winning the Premier League title for a long time.
With one of the best squads in the division, the Gunners might yet come out of January even stronger with some reinforcements in the transfer market. Here we've tried to see exactly what Arteta could do by simulating the January transfer window on Football Manager 26.
Much like in reality, the Gunners are flying high in the Premier League on our FM save. But by the time the transfer window ended, they were ahead of second-placed Liverpool by just two points. So what did the digital version of Arteta do in an attempt to ensure Arsenal finally secure the title? Here's what happened.
Ruben Neves during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Hungary and Portugal.
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Ruben Neves moved to North London in our FM26 simulation(Image: Horvath Tamas/Getty Images)
Arsenal's 2026 January transfer deadline day simulated
Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, it was a very quiet window for Arsenal. The Gunners made just two additions to the squad - and neither helped out at the back or in attack.
Instead, Arteta opted to strengthen his engine room by spending £10.5million on a Mexican international. His other signing was a free transfer for a midfielder with Premier League experience.
There were no ins or outs at Arsenal on deadline day.
Incomings - £10.5million
Marcel Ruiz (Toluca) - £10.5m
Ruben Neves (Free agent) - Free
Marcel Ruiz, the 25-year-old Toluca man, made his move near the end of the window. Having earned 11 caps for Mexico in our save, he secured a long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium.
Ruiz earns £86k a week on the deal, keeping him at the club until July 2030. But the surprise signing of Ruben Neves will cost Arsenal more in weekly wages.
Having been let go by Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal for free after just six appearances in 2025-26, Neves secured a contract worth a staggering £135k a week. As such, he was the second biggest earner of the new arrivals in the Premier League in the January window.
An overview of Arsenal's transfer business in football.london's Football Manager 26 January transfer window simulation
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An overview of Arsenal's transfer business in Football Manager 26(Image: Screenshot/Sports Interactive/football.london)
Outgoings - £215k
Will Sweet (Bristol City) - £215k
Marcell Washington (Crewe Alexandra) - six-month loan
Gabriel Jesus' future at Arsenal seems secure in our FM26 save. Arteta sanctioned just two outgoings in January - a loan for youngster Marcell Washington and a permanent move to Bristol City for Will Sweet.
On our FM save, Jesus makes four substitute appearances, netting once and setting up a goal in the Premier League after returning from the torn ACL that kept him out of real-life action for 11 months.
However, the Brazilian forward's luckless streak continued with injuries in the game, with Jesus sustaining a partially torn thigh while jumping in training.
Gabriel Jesus' profile and injury history in Football Manager 26
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Jesus' bad luck with injuries continued in game(Image: Screenshot/Sports Interactive/football.london)
Elsewhere in the simulation, Manchester City splashed a combined £130m to sign former Arsenal man Lucas Torreira from Galatasaray and replicated the real-life signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth. City's business accounted for around a third of the league's total £311m net spending.
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Torreira's transfer cost City £60m initially, but this will rise to £80m with add-ons. The biggest transfer outside the Premier League was Raphinha's £69m transfer from Barcelona to Saudi side Al-Ittihad.
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