Arsenal to spend big on major squad overhaul.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger finally looks set to make the required improvements to his squad this week, with an incredible £64million quadruple signing in four key areas of his squad.
With rivals Tottenham’s big summer spending looking to continue with the signings of the likes of Hulk and Erik Lamela, Wenger is aware that his side will face a tougher test than ever to make the club’s minimum target of the top four, let alone challenge for silverware, and he hopes his signing of a goalkeeper, a defender and two attacking midfielders can ensure his side remain competitive.
Ashley Williams (Swansea City – £9million)
The Swansea captain has been one of Arsenal’s main targets for much of the summer, with Wenger seemingly losing faith in his skipper Thomas Vermaelen and the other members of his back four, who were badly exposed in the club’s 3-1 opening day defeat at home to Aston Villa. Although they bounced back with a convincing win at Fulham, Wenger was forced to play with Sagna at centre-back due to Laurent Koscielny’s absence through suspension. Arsenal clearly lack depth in this position and Williams’ solid displays since winning promotion to the Premier League with the Swans have impressed Wenger sufficiently to convince him to meet the Welsh side’s asking price of £9million. Arsenal recently failed with an opening offer of around £5million, but should now be successful in landing the 29-year-old, who had also been linked with Liverpool.
Arsenal were thought to be plotting a double raid on Swansea for striker Michu as well, but appear to have prioritised other targets in their attacking areas.
Tim Krul (Newcastle – £11million)
With young Polish shot stopper Wojciech Szczesny not quite looking ready to be number one for Arsenal yet, Wenger will move for Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul for around £11million to solve the club’s crisis between the posts. Krul has been Newcastle’s undisputed number one since the 2011/12 season, when he first emerged as one of the best ‘keepers in the Premier League, as Alan Pardew’s side claimed a surprise fifth placed finish. Known for some stunning reflex saves, he seems a big improvement on the error-prone Szczesny and backup ‘keeper Lukasz Fabianski, who has spent much of his Arsenal career on the sidelines through injury.
However, he now looks like moving on to a bigger club after a disappointing season last year. The likes of AC Milan and Roma had been linked with the Dutchman, but Arsenal are now set to step up their interests in him, prioritising the 25-year-old over other targets such as Queens Park Rangers’ Julio Cesar, Valencia’s Vicente Guaita, Espanyol’s Kiko Casilla and Palermo’s Emiliano Viviano. Krul is seen as a more long-term option than Cesar, even though the Brazil international would likely be cheaper. His Premier League experience also sees him as preferred to Wenger’s other three candidates, who are all based in either La Liga or Serie A.
Arsenal had even been linked with a surprise £15million move for Real Madrid’s Iker Casillas, who has found himself frozen out at the Bernabeu despite an entire career of great service to the club. Still, a move seems unlikely with other big clubs such as Manchester United and Barcelona interested, and with Krul looking a good long-term option for a very reasonable price of £11million.
Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle – £20million)
In a double blow for Newcastle, they could also be about to lose star midfielder Yohan Cabaye to the Gunners as well, as they look to have met the club’s £20million asking price for the Frenchman. Cabaye has been a big hit in the Premier League since joining for just £4million from Lille in 2011, and his skillful and intelligent playing style from the middle of the park should make him a perfect fit into the style of football deployed by Wenger at the Emirates Stadium.
The 27-year-old had also been linked with PSG, Monaco and Manchester United, but will represent a great capture by Arsenal as they look to establish themselves as serious title contenders. The addition of Cabaye, who has favoured a move to the Gunners over other interested teams, will give Wenger far more depth in his midfield, as the talented playmaker can fill in either as a deep-lying midfielder in the Mikel Arteta role, or further forward, giving Wenger the option to rest star player Santi Cazorla from time to time, or else play him out wide.
Newcastle may look to Lyon attacker Yoann Gourcuff as a replacement for Cabaye, but are likely to face the wrath of their supporters after selling two key players to Arsenal in an otherwise quiet summer, in which they have only succeeded in bringing in the loan signing of Loic Remy from Queens Park Rangers.
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.