Five players that Arsene Wenger could realistically bring in before the transfer window closes.
Yohan Cabaye – Newcastle United
One thing Arsenal need, more than anything, is a deep lying string puller. A quarterback if you will. In Cabaye they would be getting a player that could ping the fleas off a dog’s back at 50 yards, and he could do it with all with all the Gallic class that you’d expect from the player who is fast becoming a staple part of his country’s midfield.
His possession of one of the most dangerous free kicks in the league would most definitely come in handy, and though he is not the defensive midfield enforcer that many of the club’s fans have been calling for, he is a more than capable box-to-box midfielder who will add class and balance to the team’s midfield.
A £10 million bid has already been made, and rejected, but the 27-year-old is now thought to have set his heart on a move to the Emirates and has been omitted from all three of Newcastle’s games so far this season, though it will probably take a lot more than £10 million to prize him away from St James’ Park.
Angel Di Maria – Real Madrid
Though the Argentinian has stated that he want’s to stay with his current club, but having Isco, Mesut Ozil and Gareth Bale (soon) as company in a packed midfield could provide problems if he wants to get a regular run in the side ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
With Ronaldo operating on one flank, and Bale soon to be taking the other, there will be very little wiggle room for the former Benfica man to stake a claim for a starting spot, and there are already rumours that coach Carlo Ancelotti is making him available for transfer.
Arsenal would be a good fit too. They will be able to offer him Champions League football, which Di Maria will most certainly count as a pre-requesit and Wenger’s style of football will lend itself well to highlighting what the player can do.
With injuries to Podolski and Oxlade-Chamberlain hampering the squad, new attacking players will be paramount to ensure that the club can continue to build on the decent start to the season they’ve had.
Iker Cassilas – Real Madrid
If there was one player that fans couldn’t see Real Madrid dropping, it would have been Saint Iker. However, it has happened, and he is not happy about it and is reportedly willing to hand in a transfer request to make sure he is still number one for Spain at next summer’s World Cup.
Links to Manchester City have been made, but Cassilas won’t fancy fighting it out with current England number one Joe Hart for a starting spot at the Etihad, where as Wojciech Szcz?sny would prove much less of a threat to his place in the side, except when the Capital One Cup rolls around of course!
Cassilas would be a huge coup for Arsene Wenger, having missed out on landing Victor Valdes earlier in the summer after he opted to stay with Barcelona until his contract expires next summer.
Cassilas, as one half of the world’s two best goalkeepers (the other being Gianluigi Buffon) his status, marketability, experience and command would be vital to the Gunners as they look to reassert themselves back at the top of the tree of Premier League football.
He is not likely to come cheap, at just 32 he is in his prime as a goalkeeper and would probably cost between £20-25 million, but crucially he would be worth every penny.
Leandro Damiao – Internacional
The Brazilian club have already accepted that their star man will be on his way this summer, though they have warned potential suitors they will have to pay handsomely to get him, which is probably why he is still at the club.
Southampton led the chase early on, but their interest now appears to have cooled, whilst Marseille have insisted that they would not be able to afford him, instead turning to Evian striker Saber Khlifa, and with Spurs and Napoli utilising other options, that leaves just Arsenal in the hunt.
A deal for the player could be completed before the deadline day with Damiao has become one of football’s hottest properties after breaking into the Internacional side in 2010. He has made 143 appearances for Colorado, scoring 82 goals. In his short career he’s already added a Copa Libertadores title to his name and was crowned as the top scorer during last year’s Olympic Games. He’d also provide another dimension for Arsene Wenger to play with in attack.
With that said, A number of high profile players have already snubbed a move to the Premier League, but with only Arsenal seemingly left, their luck could finally be in.
Geoffrey Kondogbia – Sevilla
Rumours over the past few days have suggested that the newly capped French international is set to buy out the rest of his contract with the Andalusian side in order to head back to France to join the big money project going on at Monaco. However, there is still time for any potential deal to be hijacked, and Wenger’s track record with youth players could appeal to Kondogbia, who has seen star rise considerably over the past year.
Like when Robin Van Persie left, Arsenal haven’t adequately replaced Alex Song following on from his departure to Barcelona either. Kondogbia is prefect for this side – he’s young, powerful, energetic and comes with a potential resale value that could be three times what they’ll initially pay to bring him on board.
Furthermore, Sevilla are strapped for cash and selling their star players as though they’re closing down tomorrow, so the young French ace would be available for a fee of around £7 million.
Often likened to Patrick Viera, his arrival could be a match made in heaven and give Arsenal the midfield lynchpin they so badly need.