A very belated hello to the week from me. We’re midwayish between the Hull and Villa games, a hopeless time for blogging as we’re too far past the former and not near enough the latter.

What we are also is a mere eight days away from is the opening of the transfer window. The cynical amongst us – so that’s me then – will therefore conclude that we are exactly 39 days and an awful lot of hot fax paper away from any potential signing actually putting pen to paper.

I do however suspect we’re all in agreement that we need a new striker. Hell, even Wenger says so, though of course he couches any excitement with the usual Wengerish nonchalance.

We’re so much in need of a new striker that the notion of losing Alex Song to the African Nations Cup – the same Alex Song who couldn’t put his left foot past his right one for so many years but is now indispensable – seems to have been swept somewhat under the carpet.

But with van Persie effectively in the garage for essential repairs until the World Cup, Eduardo’s stuttering form, and Walcott and Vela’s continuing growing pains, it leaves us with Bendtner (hardly the finished article himself) and Arshavin (who’s not really a striker anyway).

The question is though, who? Gunnerblog asks the question, more to fire up the debate than anything else I suspect, ‘Should we sign Louis Saha’. To me this neatly sums up the kind of problem Wenger might have in January – simply that there aren’t a lot of top strikers available. It’s probably why the names Chamakh and Dzeko keep on being repeated. And repeated. And repeated.

As for David Villa – wishful thinking I’m afraid. He’d cost upwards of £30m, which in Wenger currency is three Wiltords. If Arshavin cost one-and-a-bit Wiltords, I find it hard to envisage Wenger withdrawing three from the Bank of Sylvania to spend on one player.

I wonder also what effect the impending World Cup might have on player recruitment. On the one hand, you might get some players, on the cusps of their national teams, who are itching for a move to enhance their prospects. On the other are the clubs unwilling to sell now, in the hope that the World Cup is the biggest shop window of them all.

So it might just be an interesting January. Our league record since van Persie’s injury is not that bad – W3, D1, L2 – with eight goals scored in six games, but nor is good enough to write home to your mother about.

“Dear Mum,
In this age of email, Twitter and Facebook, you might have noticed that when it comes to writing home, I’m a bit remiss. However, I was so struck by our form since Robin van Persie got injured that I became compelled to dust down my Parker and pen you this missive. Can we score enough to keep up a head of steam? Will Eduardo emerge from the doldrums? Can Walcott pick up a decent lick of form?
Look forward to your reply,
Yours,
Son”

So anyway, at this point I digress.

If I don’t blog again before Christmas – and the chances are remote – then all that remains is for me to wish you all a fabulous break. Thanks for reading, for all your comments, for dribbling away on Twitter with me and for being gooners of the highest calibre.

Happy Christmas, a prosperous new year and a trophy in the cabinet.