2. Lars Bender
Twenty-five-year-old defensive midfielder Lars Bender joined Bayer Leverkusen from 1860 Munchen in 2009, and he has since become an integral member of the Bundesliga side’s first team. In his five seasons for the club, Bender has made 137 league appearances.
Bender was in Joachim Löw’s provisional 30-man Germany World Cup squad but was forced to withdraw with a thigh injury. At 25, he has been identified as an ideal long-term replacement to Mikel Arteta in the holding midfield position alongside Aaron Ramsey. Although Arteta has been a rock for Arsenal both on and off the field during what has been a turbulent period since 2011, he is now 32 and out of contract next year.
The German should cost Arsenal around £20-£25 million as we apparently had a bid rejected for the midfielder in January for an estimated £19 million.