This summer promises to be a captivating one in terms of transfers, with fans calling upon Arsène Wenger to finally break free of the financial shackles which have been preventing him turning this Arsenal team into genuine title challengers in the past. Wenger has expressed his desire to spend money should true world-class talent become available, and this article will explore the potential options Arsène may take.
The first position which has been identified for improvement is the goalkeeping department. Wojciech Szczesny has suffered a drastic loss in form this campaign, and David Ospina is still yet to prove himself as a truly world-class goalkeeper. The biggest name in the media at the moment is Chelsea’s Petr Cech, but of course a move for such a player would provide many complications.
The most obvious one is the fact that he is undeniably a Chelsea legend, and so he may be reluctant to move to a direct rival in Arsenal; however, his agent has come out and stated that he would be interested in a move to North London. Of course, Jose Mourinho is clearly reluctant to sell him at all, let alone to Arsenal, but there are whispers that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will ignore these desires, and would be willing to grant Cech a move to whichever team he desires due to his long-standing loyalty to the club.
Which leaves the final stumbling block – competition. Manchester United and PSG have both been touted as potential destinations by Cech’s agent himself. If David De Gea is to leave to Real Madrid as expected, then United will be desperate for a new goalkeeper, and will probably see Cech as the ideal solution. PSG currently depend on Salvatore Sirigu, and would be able to stump up far greater wages than Arsenal. However, the only thing going in the favour of Arsenal in this instance is Cech’s reported desire to stay in London.
It therefore seems that a move for Cech in the summer is fairly likely, something which would surely spell the end of Szczesny’s Arsenal career. This would also be a blow for current No. 3 Emiliano Martinez, who has openly stated his desire for first team football. Another goalkeeper who has been linked is Bayer Leverkusen’s Bernd Leno, and if a move for Cech falls through, expect rumours over the talented German’s arrival to continue.
In the defensive department, it is widely expected that there will be no incomings or outgoings, except for the sale of youth team members such as Isaac Hayden who have failed to break into the first team. Many Arsenal fans are desperate for the Gunners to snap up a top centre-back in the mould of Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels, but with Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny continuing their partnership in these last few months, and new signing Gabriel showing promise, any move for a centre-back is extremely unlikely. Of course, Calum Chambers has also shown his capability to play in this position, and may well find himself doing so more often with the emergence of Hector Bellerin.
Defensive midfield remains a controversial position for Arsenal, as many are calling for Francis Coquelin to be the main defensive midfielder next season, with his form remaining consistent ever since his emergence in January. However, there are those who believe Arsenal need to be ruthless in the summer market, with a move for Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin appearing the most likely at this stage. Southampton would be keen to hold onto him this summer, but a big in the region of £25 million would surely be enough to tempt them to part with their star man. Inevitably, Arsenal continue to be linked with moves for other powerful midfielders, such as Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho, and Juventus pair Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba.
Such moves, however, appear unlikely, and it is widely expected that either Morgan Schneiderlin will be joining the Gunners’ midfield next season, or no one at all. Mathieu Flamini, Abou Diaby and Mikel Arteta are all out of contract this summer, and the only one of the three who is expected to sign a new deal is the club captain, who has vowed not to do so until he proves himself fit; unfortunately, it seems as though Abou Diaby will never be able to do so.
Reports have been linking Santi Cazorla with a move back to Spain with Atletico Madrid, and this is a move which some would even consider to be a good thing for Arsenal, should they command a great enough fee. In this case, Arsenal would be short on one creative midfielder, and would probably need to enter into the market in this area due to Jack Wilshere’s susceptibility to injuries. Nabil Fekir has been linked, and this would be a typical Wenger-esque signing, though it is my expectation that Cazorla stays with the Gunners for at least one more season, with Tomas Rosicky also doing so after Wenger confirmed Arsenal had taken up the option to extend his contract by one year. Both Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere have been linked with moves to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively, though this talk is surely exaggerated, and such moves are very unlikely to come off.
On the wings, Arsenal have been linked with moves for Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling, Manchester City’s James Milner, and Barcelona’s Pedro. Wenger certainly appears to have an interest in Sterling, having defended him in recent press conferences and refusing to rule out a move, though Brendan Rodgers has insisted the youngster will be staying at Liverpool for at least the next two years, though how likely this is remains to be seen. At 29, the signing of James Milner appears unlikely, though recently Wenger has defended the suggestion that he would not sign him due to his age, though refused to comment further. Pedro appears the most unlikely option of the three, but Arsenal’s transfer relations with Barcelona are strong, and they managed to convince them to sell them Alexis Sanchez last summer, a player who many people would consider to be better than the Spaniard.
However, if Arsenal are to sign any of the three, Pedro would be my preference, as he has shown his class at the very highest level of football, and reportedly would come very cheap. James Milner would not be a step forwards in my opinion, and Raheem Sterling is yet to prove himself as a truly world-class player.
In terms of departures, Theo Walcott has been strongly linked with a move away, either as part of a swap deal to Liverpool for Sterling, or even to Premier League champions Chelsea. Given Wenger’s reluctance to use Walcott in these last few months, it appears clear to me that the winger is angling for a move away, either for for game time or simply to be used in his preferred striker position, and so this would increase the likelihood of Arsenal signing someone to replace him.
However, Danny Welbeck has been used more and more on the wings this season, and so one might suggest that he is being moulded into a winger by Wenger, so that Arsenal can sign another striker with more of an eye for a goal. Arsenal currently have four senior wingers out on loan, with Lukas Podolski expected to leave upon his return on loan from Inter Milan, and other wingers such as Joel Campbell, Wellington Silva and Ryo Miyaichi also returning. Campbell only signed a new deal just before leaving on loan to Spain, and so it is possible that he stays, but he has never looked comfortable in an Arsenal shirt, and has failed to shine at Villarreal.
Wellington Silva has also put in some mediocre displays out on loan, and is also expected to leave in the summer, as well as Ryo Miyaichi, who also just recently signed a new deal, but shows no signs of breaking into the first team any time soon. Wenger also needs to ensure there is room for the development of players such as Serge Gnabry and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and so departures in this area are likely; it would be fair to assume that Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere will soon be restored to their central roles.
Finally, the position of striker remains one of some debate, with Thierry Henry branding Olivier Giroud as not good enough to win the Premier League, a comment which has coincided with the giant Frenchman’s loss of form. Many strikers have been linked, such as Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema and PSG’s Edinson Cavani, though the likelihood of such moves occurring is very slim indeed. Perhaps a more realistic alternative would be Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain, after the Italian club missed out on Champions League football next season, though he has also been linked with moves to PSG and Liverpool.
Alexandre Lacazette has been in stunning form for Lyon this season, and as such has been linked with a move to the Gunners, though it appears as though he will stay in France for at least another season. In my opinion, the most likely target this summer is Porto’s Jackson Martinez, who fits the bill of a physical striker who can bring others into play like Giroud, but has greater pace and had been far more prolific in the last few seasons. Reports suggest that he has a £25 million release clause, and this would surely be a small price to pay for such a proven goalscorer, and one who Wenger has already spoken about in positive terms earlier in the season.
Some have suggested that Danny Welbeck’s failure to score goals on a more regular basis will result in him leaving the club this summer, though this seems extremely unlikely. A player who is more likely to leave would be Yaya Sanogo, who has failed to break into the first team at lowly Crystal Palace, something which will surely result in his departure from Arsenal in the summer. Finally, Chuba Akpom has voiced his desire for more first team football, and Arsenal must ensure that his desires are met, as to fail to do so may result in a move away from the club for one of their brightest young talents; a season-long loan to a Championship side may be in order.
If I were to predict Arsenal’s summer transfer business now, I would suggest that Petr Cech, Morgan Schneiderlin and Raheem Sterling are the most likely arrivals. However, if you were to ask me for my preferences, I would suggest that Pedro would be a better alternative to Sterling at this time, and that Arsenal should strongly consider a move for Porto’s Jackson Martinez, or even Gonzalo Higuain, both of whom are more proven goalscorers than current striker Giroud.