Next to sign on in the capital will be Swans skipper Williams, another player that Arsenal have been monitoring since the end of last season, although Wenger first wanted to check on the fitness of club captain Thomas Vermaelen during preseason before deciding on whether or not to make a move for the Wales international.
However, with the Belgium having been forced to miss Arsenal’s summer tour of the Far East with a recurrence of his long-standing back problem that he picked up on international duty earlier this summer, the Gunners’ boss has now decided that he cannot rely on Vermaelen going forward at the Emirates.
As a result, the club are now expected to tie up a deal for Williams by the end of the week after meeting the South Wales club’s £10m valuation of their centre back, who was one of the stand-out defenders in the Premier League last season.