Emirates Stadium side’s realistic and unrealistic transfer targets.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is repeatedly reported to have been handed a massive transfer war-chest, up to as much as £70m and with the North London club likely to offload a number of players considered ‘deadwood’ the North London club should have funds to make significant moves in the transfer market but the simple fact is that the Gunners boss is unlikely to spend money just for the sake of it.
In all likelihood the Frenchman will elect to scout heavily, looking for players he feels are a good fit for the club and are perhaps more likely to accept the club’s current wage structure. There may be occasions that Arsenal do genuinely attempt to sign a big-name player but could perhaps fail to do so due to the fact that after eight seasons without silverware and a lengthy lean spell it may just prove very tricky to convince high-profile players to move to the Emirates Stadium.
Below are a list of players Arsenal supporters would like to see join the club followed by a player of a similar position that they are more likely to end up signing this summer.
UNLIKELY
Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid)
Arsenal are said to be keen on the Argentine but it’s a move that most Gunners fans would be surprised to see occur. Any successful bid for the 25 year old would entail Wenger forking out a club record fee and would also have to see the Real Madrid man offered a wage deal far in excess of the Emirates Stadium side’s current highest earners.
Higuain does seem likely to leave the Bernabeu and with 122 goals in his seven seasons at the Spanish giants he is clearly a more than capable striker, but a move to join the North London club just doesn’t seem realistic.
REALISTIC
Loic Remy (QPR)
Long term Wenger target who can be picked up ‘on the cheap’ as the QPR man has a low release clause that came into operation once the Loftus Road side were relegated.
Proven himself at Premier League level, finishing last term as the Super Hoops top scorer despite only arriving in January, and a player who could well be on his way to Arsenal.
Problem being that he is not an improvement on the likes of Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud and as such not a signing that would provide anything other than strength in depth.
UNLIKELY
Marouane Fellaini (Everton)
Even though the Belgian apparently ‘fancies’ a move to Arsenal it’s been reported that Wenger is unsure about stumping up the money required to trigger the Everton midfielder’s release clause.
Therein lies the problem. Even when given the money to invest Wenger’s stubbornness to do so could see Arsenal miss out on established talents.
REALISTIC
Etienne Capooue (Toulouse)
So this may well lead Arsenal opting instead to land long term midfield target Etienne Capoue. This isn’t to say that the Toulouse man hasn’t got the potential to be a very good signing it’s just that in many ways such a signing is more of a gamble than spending a big sum to bring in Fellaini.
Capoue is very much a ‘Wenger-style’ signing. He’s French, a relative unknown and a player the Arsenal boss has pursued for some time. This summer could see the 24 year old finally move to the Premier League side.
UNLIKELY
Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina)
Arsenal’s apparent pursuit of Montenegro international Jovetic appears to have hit a brick-wall and one can only imagine that this could be down, in some part, to Arsene Wenger once again not being willing to meet a side’s expectations when it comes to a player’s price-tag.
Jovetic is a cultured forward and one who has been targeted by a number of big sides, some months back when Wenger first took an interest in the Fiorentina man perhaps Arsenal could have stolen a march on other prospective suitors, as it stands they may well end up missing out.
REALISTIC
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Saint-Etienne)
This could then lead to Wenger turning to another cultured forward and yet another Ligue 1 raid.
The Arsenal boss is well versed in signing in-form strikers who have impressed in the French top tier, players likes Gervinho, Olivier Giroud and Marouane Chamakh have followed this route and Saint-Etienne’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is therefore perhaps a move likely capture than Jovetic.
UNLIKELY
Martin Skrtel (Liverpool)
Arsene Wenger is keen to strengthen his defence with Sebastien Squillaci having already left and Johan Djourou rumoured to do likewise. Factor in Thomas Vermaelen being frozen out of the first team set-up in the last couple months of 2012/13 and it’s likely Arsene Wenger wants a player to keep his first choice pairing of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny on their toes.
On the face of it a move to sign Slovakian Skrtel, who has also been frozen out of first team action, seems plausible but interest from a number of Russian big spenders, the Liverpool man having previously plied his trade in the Russian Premier League, could lead to any move to sign the no nonsense defender relying on a big salary offer, this is where Arsenal’s interest may fall down.
MORE LIKELY
Ashley Williams (Swansea City)
Which then could lead Wenger to turn to decidedly average Welsh international Ashley Williams, who’s potential addition would seemingly fail to address the issue at hand, i.e. the Swansea City defender wouldn’t be an improvement on Vermaelen (far from it) and would therefore not offer Arsenal’s first choice pair much in the way of actual competition.
UNREALISTIC
Victor Valdes (Barcelona)
The Barcelona keeper made himself a target of much interest when he publicly stated his desire to leave the Nou Camp, this then led to apparent interest from Arsenal but a move to bring in the hugely successful keeper seems unlikely to say the least.
Having spent a decade plus winning trophies aplenty a move to Arsenal would be a big surprise. A move to sides who can offer him a massive salary or a genuine hope to secure major honours, or a combination of both, would appear to be the order of the day. Hence interest from the likes of PSG, Monaco and Chelsea.
REALISTIC
Julio Cesar (QPR)
So Wenger’s search for a proven experienced keeper will more than likely lead to Brazilian Julio Cesar, who is set to leave QPR this summer.
This is perhaps not a bad signing for Arsenal to make but arguably not the custodian Arsenal supporters would have liked to see behind their back-line.