Arsenal have only signed one player aged 29 or over since Mikel Arteta was appointed as head coach in December 2019. Should they complete a late move for Ollie Watkins in the January transfer window, then that will become two.

Following on from Jorginho two years ago, Watkins would become just the second player in this category to be signed under the Arteta regime. Unlike Jorginho, who came in on the cheap as a short-term solution and injection of experience into a young squad, Watkins is a world away in more ways than one.

Not only is his price six times higher and rising after Aston Villa rejected an opening £60million bid earlier this month - but he is also in the upper bracket of quality. Jorginho was going to be out of contract in the summer after Arsenal bought him. His deal was an initial two-and-a-half years.

For Watkins, in order to prize him away from Villa it would take a significantly longer and bigger outlay. His wages, as one of the Premier League's top strikers, would be much larger and he would surely be demanding at least a four-year commitment.

For Arsenal, that would take Watkins to his 33rd birthday and beyond. He is currently contracted at Villa until 2028. Their commitment to him here is unlike anything we have seen at the club for a while.

Jorginho was a stop-gap and a useful addition. Watkins is someone with a lot more to offer in terms of lifting the team through the rest of the season and beyond.

Even venturing back toward Willian and Cedric Soares in the only-just-pre-Arteta days, these were free transfers of low-risk-low-reward. David Luiz, at the same time, was really cheap and unwanted at Chelsea.

Turning the clocks back Henrikh Mkhitaryan, 28 when signed, was probably the last player of this age signed anywhere near their peak. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette were too young but nearly qualify.

For modern-day Arsenal, and even Arsenal going back more than a decade, it makes splashing out on someone with little-to-no resale value a completely unique situation. Arsenal are, unlike if this deal was done a few years ago when it was first rumoured, spending big on a player outside of the normal age range.

This is perhaps a sign of desperation but also of opportunity. The surprise movement at Villa Park, with Jhon Duran and Joao Felix potentially heading in and out this month, has offered Arsenal a chance that they did not think would exist.

When Watkins has been of interest before he has always been unattainable. Villa haven't had the backup or financial ability to go and find a true replacement. With Duran landing them an enormous and unexpected windfall, those ties are not binding anymore.

Maybe it is all of this that has seen Arsenal go from being long-term admirers of Watkins to needing to act now. It has been a deal seemingly willed into existence after talk of his childhood love for the Gunners and prior interest.

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Watkins to Arsenal has been spoken of so much in previous years and has filled the narrative. It was he who ended the Arsenal title charge last season at the Emirates Stadium and he who has been one of the more accessible Premier League strikers. As with Ivan Toney, Watkins has always been in the more affordable price range and as a hard-working English player, has some of the right attributes.

It is still a surprise to see Arsenal table something of this size. Watkins is not the penalty box poacher or delicate link-up player that seems to be missing. He is a good finisher, quick, unrelenting, tactically astute, and willing. He has a lot to offer but at £60million and now 29, it is more of a risk than, say, 12 to 18 months ago.

For this reason, Arsenal don't seem to be acting out of choice. With Benjamin Sesko not available until the summer and far from a certainty to pick Arsenal out of all the clubs fighting to get him - even if the groundwork for a deal was sorted last year - it makes a mid-season move all the more imperative.

Arsenal lack depth and also natural quality up front. Kai Havertz is a fine option but is not the killer. Gabriel Jesus is injured once more. There is no natural cover beyond that.

Viktor Gyokeres is a player in-demand and securing him will be tough as well. It's not that getting Watkins now is simple - Villa have already expressed their anger at the timing of the news being leaked and Unai Emery took a firm stance against selling his star man - but it is an opportunity that has arisen and one that cannot be ignored.

Arsenal don't have much room to manoeuvre in negotiations, though. They do not hold the cards here and have already shown a willingness to engage in transfer activity which is beyond their usual scope.

The position from Arsenal is clear. They are desperate to bring in a striker and are willing to pay big money for someone that they will never get serious cash back for. They are pushing for a move that would see them sign someone in the middle of a late peak and with little room to grow. They are in the hands of Villa and do not control matters in a way they previously have.

As opposed to buying young - even for top dollar like with Declan Rice - this is a big shift in tact from Arsenal. It shows how much they feel the need to add and how the availability of profiles has left them turning towards Watkins.

It is an unusual position for the club to be in. Perhaps for the first time under Arteta, Arsenal truly are on the backfoot in the transfer window.