Demba Ba (Chelsea – Loan)
After failing to sign Demba Ba from Newcastle in January, Arsenal have finally got their hands on him now as they take him on a season-long loan from rivals Chelsea. The 29-year-old was in prolific form for the first half of last season when he was attracting interest from Arsenal, but has failed to continue that form in a Chelsea shirt, scoring just twice in fifteen Premier League appearances for the club.
With new manager Jose Mourinho keen to address his problems upfront with the signing of Samuel Eto’o from Anzhi Makhachkala, there is seemingly no place in his squad now for Ba, who also has Fernando Torres and exciting youngster Romelu Lukaku to contend with for a starting spot in the Chelsea eleven, and the Senegalese international will be grateful for the chance of more first-team football at the Emirates Stadium.
He may, however, still find himself as a backup behind the in-form Olivier Giroud, though Arsene Wenger will be glad to have brought in a proven goal-scorer to have as an option on the bench, after selling the under-performing Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho this summer, with Nicklas Bendtner also looking like completing a move away from the club today.
At his best, Ba is a lethal finisher, and could shine in an Arsenal team that creates plenty of chances, even if he is not the most well-rounded player in the mould that Wenger would normally prefer. Newcastle had also been linked with taking Ba back on loan, but he looks to have chosen Arsenal, and may make the move permanent next season, depending on his performances for the club.
Once again, this looks like a clever piece of business by Arsenal, who have been known to be tracking a striker for much of the summer in their high-profile pursuits of Gonzalo Higuain and Luis Suarez. But with Giroud’s improvement in form, spending huge amounts on a big name may not be what is required, and the addition of Ba in reserve could be a more cost-effective way for the Gunners to add some firepower to their attack.
Ba becomes the second Chelsea player to go out on loan to a rival club today, with winger Victor Moses also sealing a move to Liverpool for the 2013/14 season.