Marvin Martin, Ibrahim Afellay, Nigel de Jong, Yann M'Vila, Isaac Cuenca, Clint Dempsey, Salomon Kalou, Alessandro Del Piero, Olivier Giroud, Nick Powell. The list of players Arsenal have been linked with in the last couple of days is huge, and, quite frankly, I would be surprised to see more than maybe one of those names arrive - if any!
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| Coming across the Channel? |
The Daily Mail have renewed the speculation, linking Arsenal with a move for Sochaux's Marvin Martin. The 24 year old Frenchman has apparently told France Football that he is "ready to go play overseas, but I have not made a decision about my future." An up and coming attacking midfielder, Martin is part of France's inexperienced Euro 2012 squad. So far, he has only earned 10 caps for Les Bleus. The Mail claim that Valencia, Fenerbache, Borussia Dortmund, Spurs and Newcastle are also interested in Martin. His was a name that was linked with Arsenal during the season too, but I don't think that he will be joining the Gunners any time soon. With a surplus of relatively young midfielders at the club already, Arsenal will be looking to offload the likes of Abou Diaby and Denilson before anyone comes in. There are also a number of promising youngsters in the reserve set up that may be promoted over bringing in new signings, the likes of Oguzhan Ozyakup, Conor Henderson and Henri Lansbury are all knocking on the first team door.
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| Someone coming from Barca for a change? |
Arsene Wenger is also being linked with a move for Barcelona flop Ibrahim Afellay. The Dutch 26 year old has struggled for game time since his move to the Camp Nou in Janurary 2011, and a serious knee injury limited him to just five appearances last term. A close friend of Robin van Persie, the Netherlands' national coach Bert van Marwijk has described Afellay as the "Dutch Zidane." Barcelona are reportedly after a fee of around £6m for the Dutchman, which will still represent a £3.5m profit for them. A good dribbler and crosser of the ball, Afellay can play across the midfield, although he is principally a winger, and with weekly wages of around £80k, Afellay should be within Arsenal's reach and would be a strong signing - and definitely someone who might help persuade Robin van Persie to extend his stay in N5. Though Arsenal are expected to face stiff competition from both Newcastle and Spurs for his signature.
Another Blau Grana who is being linked with Arsenal is youngster Isaac Cuenca, who has begun to break through into the Barca first team this season. Reportedly available for €10m, I really cannot see the Barca winger making the move to North London. Arsenal have reportedly been interested in him all season, although there is a belief that the majority of that stemmed from Cuenca's agent who was trying to get his client a better deal at Barca, which he has only just signed. I sincerely doubt that this story's got legs.
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| Cuenca is not on his way to N5 |
Staying with attacking players, Salomon Kalou has been touted for a move across London yet again. Wenger is reported to be a long term admirer and with Kalou now available on a free transfer, a move for the Ivorian is probably more likely now than ever. The 26 year old is entering the peak of his career, and would probably want more opportunities for first team football than Arsenal could offer him. His inflated wages are also likely to be a stumbling block in any move Arsenal might consider for him. German side Shalke are reportedly closest to securing a deal for the striker, but were he to accept a wage cut, then there might be a possibility for the Ivorian to join the Gunners, although he would be unlikely to be more than a squad player.
Arsenal's interest in rising Rennes star Yann M'Vila is reportedly cooling. At £18m, I must admit I was suspect as to how genuine Arsenal's interest was. He would have been an expensive buy to strengthen in an area where there is already good strenght and depth within the squad. A holding midfielder, were Arsenal to sign the Frenchman, it must raise serious doubts over the futures of the likes of Alex Song, Emmanuel Frimpong, Francis Coquelin and Craig Eastmond. With Song having just been voted second in Arsenal's player of the season poll too, any move to add to this section of the team would surely be to add a squad player. At the same time as Wenger's interest in M'Vila has been reported as waning, Manchester City and Netherlands hard man Nigel de Jong is being increasingly linked with a move south. De Jong has found it increasingly hard to get a start at the league champions of late, and could be tempted by an offer of first team football, but with Alex Song going from strength to strength this does not look much like something Arsenal can provide. Not only that, Manchester City have generally looked a better side with de Jong on the pitch, as it allows Yaya Toure to play in a more advanced role, where he has excelled in the last couple of seasons. It is likely that Arsenal fans would have a lukewarm reaction to his signature too, as I think many will see him as second choice to M'Vila, despite being arguable the better player. The numbers that have been suggested in the papers suggest that City might be willing to sell for less than £10m and that could well pique Arsenal's interest, although as I said, I see a move as unlikely.
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| Is it time for someone to swap City for Arsenal? |
Arsene Wenger has also been suggested to be considering moves for Fulham's Clint Dempsey and free agent Alessandro Del Piero. At 37, Del Piero is significantly older than anyone would expect an Arsenl signing to be, however he has been released by Juventus, fresh from winning Serie A, and is a vastly experienced player who has been linked with a move to the Emirates for the last couple of months, and Italian website Tuttosport believe that Arsenal have in fact made the ageing Italian a good contract offer. I believe that he would be a useful squad player to have, he would be able to pass on his experience and advice to the many young strikers at Arsenal, and I would suggest that he would still be able to contribute 10 or so goals as a squad player, off of the bench and in various competitions. He has confirmed that he definitely will not be signing for another Italian side saying "I'm certain [my future] will be abroad." It is possible that he will join, just unlikely. I think that it is even less likely that American Dempsey will join. He has been in sparkling form for Fulham all season, and has recently expressed his desire to test himself in the Champions League, but I am unsure as to how he would fit in at Arsenal. Also as someone who is a regular at Fulham, it is unlikely that he would enjoy the same status at Arsenal, which might put him off any potential move. Fulham also have no need to sell him, so he would carry an inflated transfer fee, I would imagine somewhere between £10m and £12m.
Arsenal also have four strikers who are not first team regulars that they may look to move on before bringing in anyone new. Nicklas Bendtner has already expressed his desire to leave, and is rumoured to have a number of potential suitors in Germany, with Borussia Dortmund most closely linked. Park Ju Young has had a miserable time in North London, and looks likely to bring it to an end this summer, with UAE side Al Ain apparently interested. Carlos Vela is also expected to move on this summer, with a number of clubs in Spain interested, however Arsenal's £8m asking price could cause problems. I feel that given a good run of games, he could have made it at Arsenal, and if he cannot be sold over the summer, and gets that opportunity, I think he still can.
Marouane Chamakh is another player that many fans would like to see leave Arsenal, but I feel that he should stay, he offers the team another dimension, the aeiral presence and hold up play. I also think that he enables Wenger to switch to a 4-4-2 formation mid-game by bringing him off the bench, and we saw that happen to great effect in the recent game against Norwich. It has also been suggested that Chamakh could be used as a makeweight in a player plus cash deal for Montpellier's Olivier Giroud, who Arsenal may or may not make a move for after this summer's European Championships.
Crewe youngster Nick Powell has also had his name linked with Arsenal, although Manchester United are apparently in pole position to sign him in a £5m deal. He scored the goal in the League 2 play off final that took Crewe up, and it was an excellent finish (you can see it here), and it does seem that £5m could be a very shrewd investment. It will be worth watching his progress wherever he ends up.
It is also worth remembering that Yossi Benayoun's future is still to be decided, with a permanent move to Arsenal still a distinct possibility. Available for around £5m Benayoun made a real contribution to the team last season, and won over many fans with some good performances when they were needed. He also managed to chip in with a few vital goals. A regular towards the end of the season, it would be interesting to know if he wants to return, with the knowledge that he may well be a squad player.
A pot of around £30m was supposedly set aside to try and sign Mario Geotze this summer, before he put pen to paper, extending his deal at Dortmund. IF that pot does exist, then I would look to spend it on bringing Dutch international Wesley Sneijder to the Emirates, a fantastic, creative player, he could really excite the fans and squad ahead of the 2012/13 season. Reportedly available for between £30-35m I think the Inter Milan man would be well worth buying.
I also think that if Arsenal are in need of squad players in midfield, it might be worth looking at Clarence Seedorf. He has been released by AC Milan, and is getting quite old, but is in very good physical condition and could definitely bring something to the side. The argument that his experience would be invaluable for the younger players applies here, as well as with Del Piero.
Finally, were the unthinkable to happen, and Robin van Persie does leave, then I think that Althletic Bilbao's Fernando Llorente would be well worth a look at. A player in a similar mould to Arsenal's talismanic captain, he could be the ideal replacement, if the nightmare scenario unfolds.
Do you want any of these players to come in? What do you think of my suggestions of Sneijder, Seedorf & Llorente? Let me know through the comments & Twitter; @Goonernl
