Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid – £24million)
Perhaps the most exciting signing of all for Arsenal fans will be the £24million deal for Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria, who will be allowed to leave the club due to the imminent arrival of Gareth Bale from Tottenham. The Gunners were said to have made a double enquiry to Real Madrid last week over the avilability of Di Maria and Karim Benzema, and while Benzema’s agent has ruled out the striker moving to Arsenal, Di Maria is keen to move on from the Bernabeu in a bid to seek regular first-team football.
The Argentine has been one of the club’s most impressive performers since arriving from Benfica in 2010, scoring 25 goals and providing 53 assists in his three seasons with the Spanish giants. However, in a difficult year last season, he was one of many players visibly unsettled by the club’s dip in form under Jose Mourinho, and is keen to try a new challenge.
The 25-year-old has also been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham (as part of the Bale deal), but Arsenal have moved quickly to beat rival clubs to his signature, and make him their record signing in the process, for what could be a bargain £24million. With the ability to play on either flank, run at players, whip in crosses, and score the occasional screamer, Di Maria looks like the perfect addition to an Arsenal squad that can often overdo it with their passing and try to walk the ball into the back of the net. He is due to arrive in London for a medical in the next day or two, and will put pen to paper on a four-year contract with the Gunners.
With the addition of all four of these experienced, proven quality players, Arsenal may finally be able to look forward to a better season. The squad will now have far more depth in their bid to compete in all four competitions, and the fans will be pleased at last with the ambition shown to compete with their rivals and bring in world class players.