Emirates Stadium side close in on moves to start summer spending.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been given the green light to make significant improvements to his Gunners squad and has been armed with a large transfer war-chest in order to secure top quality talent this summer.
CaughtOffside understands that Wenger has undergone lengthy discussions with Arsenal’s board with relation to the North London club’s hopes and expectations for the coming season and are ready to pump hefty funds into the Arsenal transfer kitty to help the Emirates Stadium side mount a genuine challenge for major honours after an eight season silverware drought.
Wenger has stated publicly that unlike recent summers Arsenal will not be accepting offers for first team regulars, that in itself will be welcomed by the club’s fanbase who have seen a myriad of talents leave in recent seasons, last summer seeing Robin Van Persie and Alex Song leaving to join Man United and Barcelona respectively.
Having secured lucrative sponsorship deals in recent months, the most notable of which being with Emirates and Puma, Arsenal have the requisite funds to mount a real assault on the transfer market and even though if doing is perhaps not in keeping with Arsene Wenger’s character it appears it’s a move the club realises is long overdue.
Wenger’s long running pursuit of a proven goal-scorer appears to be set to bear fruit with Arsenal having agreed terms with Argentine Gonzalo Higuain. The 25 year old Real Madrid striker is certain to leave the Bernabeu and a £22m move is all but in place to see the experienced forward move to the Emirates Stadium, a move that may be rubber stamped once the La Liga giants have a new manager in place, with Carlo Ancelotti strongly linked with the vacant post.
Higuain has scored 122 goals in seven seasons at Real Madrid and will provide the club with a more effective spearhead to it’s attack, though Wenger has not given up on French international Olivier Giroud.
Speculation is rife that Arsenal are to trigger Marouane Fellaini’s release clause, said to be in the region of £24m, as Wenger looks set to break the club transfer record fee twice in one window.
Arsenal could sorely do with some steel in the centre of the park and a move to the Belgian powerhouse will also handily link midfield and attack whilst also add another goal threat, Fellaini having notched up a dozen last term.
Though Fellaini is an attacking midfielder the 25 year old has talked up the prospect of being used in a less offensive role, and perhaps Wenger has designs of lining up the former Standard Liege man alongside his former Toffees team-mate Mikel Arteta?
Arsenal are in advanced talks with Swansea City over Welsh centre-back Ashley Williams and with the two sides said to be just £2m apart in their valuations of the 28 year old it appears that a deal will be struck this summer.
Arsene Wenger is keen to bring in more central defensive options to offer a strong back-up team behind first choice pairing Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny. Thomas Vermaelen was frozen out of first team action in the final months of 2012/13 and may well not be happy to warm the bench and with Sebastien Squillaci having been released and with Johan Djourou likely to leave there is certainly scope for additions in this regard.
Finally Wenger will look to bring in a new custodian, one who can challenge young Pole Wojciech Szczesny and with this in mind has been pushing ahead with moves for Stoke City’s Asmir Begovic and Sunderland’s Simon Mignolet.
The Arsenal manager is keen to bring in either the Bosnian or the Belgian and a lot will depend on their respective asking prices as Wenger is confident that he can lure both this summer but is keen to not pay over the odds for either Premier League keeper.