Arsenal dropped points after losing to Manchester United, conceding a first-half penalty when Ray Parlour brought down Ronny Johnsen. Their goal drought continued, and many pointed to the departure of their talismanic striker as the main reason.
Ian Wright—who had scored 185 goals in 288 appearances, including eleven hat-tricks, making him Arsenal's all-time leading goalscorer—had announced his transfer to West Ham United. His decision to leave the club sent shockwaves through Arsenal!
While it was understandable, as age was finally catching up with the 35-year-old, Wright had still been scoring regularly despite his years. In an attempt to replace him, Arsenal appeared to panic in the January transfer window, signing three forwards at once: Nwankwo Kanu from Inter Milan and Kaba Diawara from Bordeaux, both for undisclosed fees.
Back in Manchester, City turned their attention to February, with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge set to be their first major test in february.
