5. Gareth Barry
As well as the need for a striker, many Arsenal fans would like to see a defensive midfielder brought in to add a bit of presence into the otherwise nimble midfield we have. Gareth Barry is a player who has taken on that role at Manchester City before and spent last season doing much the same at Everton; and enjoyed a very good season. Wenger had looked into bringing Barry to the Emirates a year ago, before ultimately moving for Mathieu Flamini, and it is possible he may go back in for the Englishman now that he has become a free agent. Barry has years of experience in the Premier League and would be able to slot straight into the side; something that will prove very useful with the Champions League Qualifiers meaning we will many games in the early weeks of the season. Ideal signings for this position would be the likes of Javi Martinez of Bayern Munich, but this would prove very costly; and so Arsenal may look to secure a cheaper option, in the form of Barry, to allow them to spend extra money on other areas of the squad such as forwards or to make a potential move for Cesc Fabregas.
None of the listed players would be first-choice targets for Arsene Wenger but he has spoken on many occasions about how difficult the market can be and, should he be unable to bring his ideal candidates, may look to the likes of Eto’o and Barry to fill in holes within the squad; as he has been known to do with the signings of Flamini and Kallstrom in the last 12 months. Ferdinand and Lescott meanwhile would be very effective options for additional defensive cover, and so Arsene Wenger may look into these if both Sagna and Vermaelen were to leave the club this summer.