Mikel Arteta is believed to be looking for a striker in January, with uncertainty over Pierre-Emerick's future.

Aubameyang appeared to be leaving north London on the deadline day. He was even spotted in Spain before a possible move to Barcelona on loan. However, talks broke down due to issues with the Gabon international salary . This led to Peter Odemwingie comparisons. Odemwingie famously drove to QPR but failed to secure a move.

The Gunners are naturally linked to many names, including Dusan Vlahovic who moved to Juventus recently for a fee of just north of PS60m and Alexander Isak , which was spotted in London this weekend, raising speculation that he might be on the verge of joining the club.

However, neither of the players pitched up at Emirates. De Tomas is another name to be dismissed. According to Jose Maria Duran (Espanyol chairman), De Tomas was the subject of an inquiry by London club but the Catalan supremo wasn't in the mood to entertain offers.

Duran said to Sports3 that "Arsenal called Raul de Tomas." Although it was only a once-off call, we were unable to resist the urge to listen.

Our position is unambiguous. We won't let Raul de Tomas leave, especially not in middle of the season."

The 27-year old has been a powerhouse for the Catalan club this season, scoring 11 goals in only 20 La Liga matches, which culminated in the Madrid-born marksman receiving his international debut last January.

He was a two-time World Cup Qualifier participant for Spain, winning caps against Sweden and Greece as Luis Enrique's La Rojatopped group B to secure their ticket to Qatar 2022.