ARSÈNE WENGER, the Arsenal manager, is usually reluctant to get involved in the frenzy of the January sales, preferring a more stealthy approach during the summer market, but his hand may be forced this month. Yesterday, he was linked with Mickael Essien, the Lyons midfield player, and Fernando Torres, the Atlético Madrid striker.

Of the pair, Essien would take priority because of the doubt about the futures of Gilberto Silva and Edu, Arsenal’s Brazilian midfield players. Gilberto has been absent since late September with a back injury and may not be able to play again this season, while Edu is refusing to sign a new contract and could soon leave the club.

Essien, a 22-year-old Ghanaian, has also attracted the interest of Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid with a series of impressive displays for Lyons, the French league leaders. Wenger was first made aware of Essien, who moved from Bastia, the Corsican club, for £6 million 18 months ago, by Gilles Grimandi, the former Arsenal defender and now the club’s chief scout in France.

Wenger’s dislike of the winter transfer window is well known. “To me, it is important to buy at the right price and January is more expensive,” he said. “Transfers are a bit like fishing. You go right and it doesn’t work so you go left. And the fish are more expensive in January.”

However, Wenger did make an exception last year, when he bought José Antonio Reyes, the Spain forward, from Seville in a deal that could total £17 million. “Given José’s quality, I feel that we got him at a reasonable price,” Wenger said.

Essien played in both of Lyons’s Champions League group matches against United earlier this season. He has three years left on his contract and would cost about £10 million, but Lyons, who are still involved in the European Cup, are unlikely to want to sell until the summer.

Using his renowned Gallic charm, Wenger may try to prove persuasive if the news on Gilberto is bad. The player recently returned from Brazil, where he has been recuperating from the fractured vertebra that has kept him sidelined since the 2-2 draw at home to Bolton Wanderers on September 18.

The initial signs have been encouraging but Gilberto, 28, a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002, first has to have his progress confirmed by the medical staff at Highbury. The results are expected today or tomorrow. Even if he is given the all-clear, he still faces a long spell of rehabiliation, which makes it unlikely that he will return until the Barclays Premiership campaign is near its conclusion.

“The news I had from the specialist Gilberto has been seeing was rather good,” Wenger said. “But we want to check that with our own specialist. We have to consider that the best that we can hope for him, even if the news is positive, is that he will be back in mid-April.”

It was Reyes who drew Wenger’s interest to Torres, 20, his international team-mate. “I have spoken with Mr Wenger,” Reyes said, “and urged him to try to sign Fernando this year. He is the best young player in Spain and he will become one of the best in the world over the next few years.”

Again, United would appear to be in the same queue of potential suitors as Arsenal, which has alarmed Reyes. “We can’t allow United to get in and sign him ahead of us,” he said.