Five players Arsenal should buy and sell at the end of the season.
To Buy:
Diego Costa – Atletico Madrid
The Gunners are in desperate need of a striker, and a world class striker at that. With Olivier Giroud’s future now in doubt they will not only be looking to replace him, but make some solid additions to an already paper thin area of the squad. Costa won’t come cheap, and Wenger will face some serious competition to land him, but should they manage to bring him on board then they will have their first world class striker since Thierry Henry.
Fabian Schar – FC Basel
The Swiss youngster has caught the eye this season with a series of sturdy, mature displays in the Champions League, and is not expected to be at the club beyond the summer. Arsenal could be all set to lose Thomas Vermaelen this summer as he seeks more game time, and in his absence Wenger will need defensive cover. Young enough to grow into an important player, but still enough of a rookie to act as adequate back up to the established pair of Mertesacker and Koscielny.
Alex Song – Barcelona
A player that the club have failed to replace ever since his departure in 2012, his time in Spain has been marred by a lack of playing time and he looks as though he already has one foot out of exit door at the Nou Camp. Song already knows the club and what makes it tick, so he would settle back in in no time and become the vital cog in the team’s engine room that they’ve so sorely missed.
Mario Mandzukic – Bayern Munich
As stated previously, the Gunners are in desperate need of some firepower. If Mrs Giroud gets her way Arsenal will be down to just one out-and-out striker in the shape of Yaya Sanogo, but with such a potent goalscorer becoming available, Wenger would be crazy not to splash out on the talented Croatian.
Lukasz Piszczek – Borussia Dortmund
It’s likely that the club will need a new left-back too this summer with Bacary Sagna stalling on a new deal to keep him at the club. Wenger will be hoping to add someone with as much tenacity as the Frenchman and Piszczek fits the bill perfectly. Frequently bombing down the wing to help attack and aide the defence, the Pole would be a tremendous asset.
To Sell:
Nicklas Bendtner
He’s been given a second chance and he’s failed to take it quite spectacularly. Currently out of favour as well as out of form, Wenger will be keen to get the troublemaker off his wage bill this summer and reinvest the money elsewhere.
Abou Diaby
It’s difficult not to sympathise with the Frenchman. When he plays he’s incredibly talented and adds a significant presence to the midfielder, but his problems with injuries have been getting worse and worse over the years. He has still yet to make his debut this season, but somehow still believes that he can make it into France’s World Cup squad. It would be best to move him on this summer in the hope that he can re-establish himself somewhere else.
Park Chu Young
Quite simply, it’s not happening, and nobody is exactly sure what he’s still doing there. He has spent most of his time at Arsenal on loan to Celta Vigo in La Liga, and in January he left to link up with Watford on loan for the remainder of the season. It’s hard to imagine that Arsenal would get much for him, but it would be a move to benefit all involved.
Thomas Vermaelen
Even though he is still a useful addition to the squad, it’s become quite clear that he no longer wants to be there, and who could blame him? Going from club caption to bit part player isn’t easy to take, and with a World Cup on the horizon the opportunity the chance to earn himself, and the club, a big pay day is a very real possibility.
Lukas Podolski
Much like Vermaelen, there’s a prevailing sense that the German doesn’t want to be at the club. He has had his problems with injuries this term but when fit has seldom featured in the starting XI from the start. Touted as being a makeweight in the deal that could bring Julian Draxler to the club, it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see him leave the Emirates this summer.