Arsene Wenger has been given £40 million by Arsenal, and been told that he can do absolutely anything he wishes with it. Well, as long as that 'anything' is in regards to any players he wishes to purchase in the transfer market - a market which has been scarcely used by the Arsenal manager in large quantities for a while. A market which Sir Alex Ferguson, Wengers rival, claims there is "no value" - a claim well supported by Chelsea, who proved exactly that by splashing £10 million more than what Wenger has to spend on a striker who has so far made no impact on their title chase, scoring zero goals.
So with that in mind, who will Wenger bring to Arsenal, who he believes will add something different, somehing better to the squad. A squad which many commentators, critics and pundits suggests needs adding to, in the form of real stability - a defensive midfielder perhaps, or a good few central defenders to sure up that shaky defence, and maybe even an injury free, reliably prolific striker who will convert the chances that Marouane Chamakh, Nicklas Bendtner and Robin van Persie cannot.
It's all very easy to list what Arsenal need, but what's harder is to tell Wenger what Arsenal need, and then convert those thoughts into actions. The general consensus is that Arsenal must spend - explicitly suggested in the Arsenal board giving him £40 million to do what he likes with. But with Wenger stubbornly set in his ways of spending little and relying on youth, there will be a lot of thinking involved in finding the right players for the right values at Arsenal. With £40 million ready to spend, the gossip columns will have no shortage of players to link to Arsenal either, so here's a few already being tipped for a move.
Lets start with that defensive midfielder.
Gokhan Inler is the man rumoured to be on Arsenal's wanted list, and at a rumoured bargain of £8 million, it seems too good to be true for Wenger. He was followed by Roy Hodgson when he managed Liverpool, and was tipped to be Javier Mascherano's replacement, but of course a deal never materialised and he remains playing at Udinese. Arsenal are apparently watching him closely, and it always helps when a player comes out with:
"My future has absolutely not been decided". The player has a good work rate and aggressive style of play - an enforcer in the middle - something Arsenal desperately need.
Next up is those defenders who have been linked to Arsenal. Bolton's Gary Cahill has been mentioned more than several times, and his admission that he wants to be more like Jack Wilshere, playing against the big teams in the Champions League have not done any harm to a possible transfer to the Emirates. Wenger is a vocal admirer of Cahill who is starting to make a name for himself in the English national side, but his sudden rise to prominence has done something awful to put Wenger off. His asking price has risen drastically. Valued at over £20 million, surely this is out of Wenger's price range. Unfortunately I cannot imagine Wenger spending this much on a defender.
A defender far, far, far within Wenger's price range is Phillipe Mexes. In fact he's so cheap, he's free. His contract at Roma expires in June, making him a free-agent, however, Wenger will still need to use some of that £40 million to persuade the Frenchman to Arsenal. Mexes would come with a heft wage packet, and with Chelsea also rumoured to be on his trail, Arsenal must be ready (if they want him) to offer him those wages.
Other rumours are less prominent. They are so because they are rumours about attacking players, and Arsenal have no lack of those at the club, but perhaps if investment is not used, those class acts such as Nasri, Fabregas, van Persie and Walcott will turn their heads to new clubs - though that is unlikely considering their apparent loyalty to the cause. Attacking rumours include another Frenchman, Yann M'Vila and Sporting Lisbon forward Yannick Djalo.
There is then of course, Arsenal admirer, and Wenger admirer,
Eden Hazard. A very bright prospect, and real attacking flare, he has already stated that,
"If one day I leave Lille, I will go to Real or Arsenal." The Belgian play maker is the "next big thing", and with Arsenal now having the money, surely Wenger wouldn't pass up the opportunity to have a player who really wants to play for his team and "dreamed of joining as a child."
Arsenal's goalkeeping situation is covered by Szczesny now, and I think most Arsenal fans, and Wenger accept him as their new number 1 goalkeeper, while Wenger doesn't look likely to delve into his pockets for a new one. Especially when he can just call Jens Lehmann back for free, or if he's not available, David Seaman.
