5 Midfielders Arsenal Might Sign In January

When Arsenal sold both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in the summer it looked like Jack Wilshere would be the man to lead their midfield this season. However, he suffered an injury before the season even began, and he won't be back until some time in the new year.

Mikael Arteta and Yossi Benayoun both arrived just before the transfer window closed, and Arteta has settled into the team very well since then. Benayoun hasn't had too many chances to play, and when he has it has been in a wide attacking role. He looks capable of playing a role behind Robin van Persie if he's needed there, but the chances are Arsenal will add to their midfield options in January.

It would be a big risk for Arsenal to pin their hopes for the second half of the season on Wilshere returning from injury. They will have a tough battle to finish in the top four of the Premier League, as well as playing in the FA Cup and the knockout stages of the Champions League. Wilshere's return is by no means certain, and there are some very good players who might make a difference to the Arsenal team.

If the reports are to believed, Borussia Dortmund and Germany playmaker Mario Gotze has hinted that he would like to play for Arsenal. Despite being only 19 years old, Gotze has already shown himself to be one of the best playmakers in world football. He has established a place in both his club and national sides, and he looks like he will be a real star of world football in the very near future.

There are very few players in the world who would be capable of directly replacing Cesc in the Arsenal team, but Gotze is one of them in my opinion. His club look destined to miss out on the knockout stages of the Champions League which could possibly leave the door open for him to move in January. I would imagine that Dortmund would want to hold onto him for as long as possible, as his value is sure to rise very quickly.

He has the ability to pick a pass and score goals, as well as good pace and excellent technical ability too. He would fit perfectly into the Arsenal team, and possibly help their fans to forget about the departed Cesc. The biggest stumbling block for Arsenal could be the involvement of other clubs who will pay more than them in any potential transfer negotiations.

Marvin Martin has had a quick rise to fame in the French league and internationally for France too. Despite his recent admission that he would like to play in Spain, he is still a possible target for Arsenal in the January transfer window. He is another player who looks like he might have the ability to take the place of the departed Cesc in the Arsenal team.

Like Gotze he has excellent technical ability and he has the ability to pick a pass, but he doesn't score as many goals as Gotze. He will turn 24 in January which means he is approaching his peak, and that makes him an attractive target for Arsenal too. He was the most creative player in the French league last season with his club Sochaux, and he has made his way into the French national team too.

Arsene Wenger has had a great record with French signings in the past, and he could be the man to help Martin become one of the best playmakers in the world. He might also be available at a price which would be more to Arsenal's liking.

Sebastian Giovinco is an Italian midfielder who plays in Italy for Parma and the Italian national team too. Like both Gotze and Martin he is a midfield playmaker, and Arsenal are in need of some creativity in their midfield. He has an eye for goal as well as the ability to pick out a  pass, and score from free kicks too.

Giovinco has had a very good start to this season with Parma, and they would be unwilling to let him go unless Arsenal make them an offer they cannot refuse. Arsenal have plenty of money left over from their summer transfer dealings, and he would be within their price range if they were to chase his signature.

Like both Gotze and Martin, he has the ability to make an impact in the Premier League with Arsenal if they can make him the fulcrum of their team.

Arsenal were reported to have failed in a late bid to sign French international midfielder Yann M'Vila in the summer, but he is now reported to want to leave his club. He's a 21-year-old defensive midfielder who plays in France for Rennes and for the French national team too. Alex Song currently plays in his position for Arsenal, but his addition would certainly give them more options.

However, Arsenal also have both Francis Coquelin and Emmanuel Frimpong looking to make a breakthrough into the team in that position. Wenger will probably consider his team strong enough in defensive midfield already, and the chances are he won't be looking to sign M'Vila again.

If he does decide to move for him it could possibly show he intends to revert to a 4-4-2 formation with M'Vila to play alongside Song. I can't see him changing back from the 4-3-3 which has become so popular in the last few years though.

Arsene Wenger has long been an admirer of Eden Hazard, but the latest reports suggest he will cost an awful lot more than Arsenal will be willing to pay. Despite the money available to Wenger I cannot see him smashing the club transfer record to sign Hazard. He will turn 21 during the transfer window, and his future could depend on whether his club make it through to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

If Lille win their final game at home to Trabzonspor they will make the last 16, and surely they will decide to hold onto their prize asset for those games. If they are knocked out, there could be a bidding war for Hazard with Manchester City being the most likely winners due to the limitless funds available to them.

Hazard would be an ideal player for Arsenal to sign, as he has a real eye for goal as well as great technical ability and fantastic pace. At this stage in his career Arsenal might be the perfect club for Hazard to sign with, but it looks like he will end up elsewhere.

Conclusion

Arsenal have money to spend in the January transfer window, and despite his denials Wenger is likely to add to his squad. The fans would like to see a direct replacement for Cesc added to the team, but there are other positions that need addressing too. It's up to Wenger where he chooses to spend his money, and I think the five midfielders I have listed are all good enough to make a real difference to the team.
That's it for today.

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Arsenal Beat Norwich 2-1 To Continue Their Revival

Arsenal went to Norwich in the early kick off on Saturday knowing that they needed a win to put pressure on the teams above them. I had said before the game that Arsenal needed to take their chances to ensure victory, and they just about managed to take enough chances to take all three points. During the first half Arsenal missed so many good chances that I was worried they would pay a price for it later.

When Per Mertesacker made a mess of clearing a long hopeful ball from Norwich in the 16th minute Norwich took their only real chance in the first half and went 1-0 up. Arsenal had played really well before that goal, and opened up the Norwich defence at will. It only took Arsenal 11 minutes to equalise when Robin Van Persie slotted home after some good work by Theo Walcott.

Before that goal Norwich's Russell Martin had cleared off the line to save them on three seperate occasions. The first of those clearances was from a Walcott effort which looked destined for the back of the net. I don't think Martin knew exactly how he managed to put the ball over the bar, and Walcott could have done no more to try to score.

Arsenal's intensity fell off a little after the equaliser, but they still missed a couple of good chances before the break. Arsenal took the lead 14 minutes into the second half when the Aaron Ramsey won the ball in midfield, and the referee played a good advantage after he was dragged down. Alex Song broke clear and played in RVP who chipped the ball over the advancing goalkeeper into the corner of the net.

Song had a choice of RVP or Gervinho to play in, but thankfully he chose RVP as Gervinho definitely didn't have his shooting boots on. Both Gervinho and Walcott had a lot of joy in the wide positions, but I'm not quite sure how they ended the game without a goal between them.

Arsenal's inability to finish Norwich off made things a little nervy towards the end, but they held out with relative ease to take all three points. The only real disappointment for me was that Arsenal didn't take the opportunity to increase their goal difference. A few more goals should have been scored, and they would have helped to close the game on the three other teams who are level on points with Arsenal.

Saturday's victory was Arsenal's fifth in a row in the Premier League, and they are right back in the race to finish in a Champions League place. Four of the teams above them played each other this weekend, and next weekend will see more of the same with Manchester United playing Newcastle and Liverpool playing Manchester City too. A win for Arsenal at home to Fulham next Saturday evening could possibly see them move into the top four for the first time this season.

Before that game there's the vital Champions League group game at home to Borussi Dortmund on Wednesday night. Arsenal top the group at the moment, but with Marseille at home to Olympiacos the chances are they will need a victory against Dortmund to stay there going into the last game. It won't be an easy task against a team which won away to Bayern Munich at the weekend to put themselves right back in contention in their defence of their German league title.

The goal was scored by Arsenal target Mario Gotze, and he will be the player to watch on Wednesday night in my opinion. If Arsenal were to directly replace Cesc Fabregas he would be one of the few players possibly capable of filling the role. Arsenal will be trying to sign him in January I'm sure, and his addition to the team could be the factor to push them on to greater things if he arrives.

His addition would give Arsenal some excellent options in midfield with Ramsey, Abu Diaby, Mikael Arteta, Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere all competing for two places. It's a headache Arsene Wenger would be delighted to have I'm sure, and hopefully he will get the chance in January. If Arsenal can win on Wednesday night and ensure Dortmund cannot qualify for the last 16 it could just be the catalyst Gotze needs to move.

That's it for today.

Here's the highlights from Saturday's game(with thanks to 101greatgoals)


See You Tomorrow.

Arsenal Finally Spring Into Transfer Action.

The transfer window closes at 11pm tonight BST, and Arsenal have finally sprung into action. Arsene Wenger had said all summer long that he would spend the money available to him if players were available to improve Arsenal's squad. He had said he was looking for players of "super quality", but it seems he has finally decided Arsenal simply needed players of ability and experience.

When Gael Clichy was sold to Manchester City he said that no replacement would be bought, as Kieran Gibbs and Armand Traore would both be capable of playing there. However, Gibbs is yet again on the treatment table and Traore was sold to Queens Park Rangers yesterday. Arsenal appear to have a deal set up to sign Andre Santos from Fenerbache in Turkey to play at left back.

He's a 28 year old Brazilian left back who has played 22 times for his country, and he looks like he could be a very valuable addition to the squad. He has a few career goals to his name, and he looks likely to offer more going forward than Clichy ever did. Hopefully he can add some of the defensive stability Arsenal were so badly lacking against Manchester United last Sunday.

He's not the only defensive addition Arsenal will be making, as up to two central defenders look likely to be on their way too. In a very busy day for the club yesterday Per Mertesacker apparently arrived at the club for a medical and will be revealed as an Arsenal player today. Mertesacker has been a long time target for Arsenal and he also looks like he could be a very good buy.

He's the club captain at Werder Bremen and he has played 75 times for Germany as a central defender. His 6'6" tall, and his height and experience could be of real benefit to the Arsenal defence. It will make a pleasant change for an Arsenal defender to be towering over his opponents at set pieces.

There's still a possibility of either Gary Cahill or Christopher Samba arriving before the day is out, and the future looks bleak for Sebastien Squillaci at Arsenal. The arrival of Mertesacker will make him fifth choice at best, and if another central defender arrives there will probably be no place in the Arsenal squad for him. It remains to be seen if Arsenal will attempt to offload him before the day is out.

The only player Arsenal have actually confirmed the signature of is Park Chu Young from Monaco. He's a 26 year old striker who is the current captain of South Korea and he has been signed on a two and a half year contract apparently. He arrived for a very reasonable price, but that could be because he has his Korean military service to do when his contract is up.

His arrival could mean the long protracted sale of Nicklas Bendtner will eventually go through today, but there's no indication of where he might go yet. It looks like Stoke City could be a possible destination for him, but they're a long way from the top European clubs he claimed were interested in him. At least he will get to play in the Europa League if he signs for them.

There are plenty of other rumours of potential arrivals at Arsenal, as the need for a creative midfielder must surely be foremost in Wenger's mind. Both Mario Gotze of Borussia Dortmund and Marvin Martin of Sochaux were heavily linked to the club yesterday. Eden Hazard has been a target for Arsenal for quite a while now, and the rumours also persist of his imminent arrival. It's anybody's guess which of those players might arrive, but hopefully one of them will.

It should be a fascinating day for Arsenal fans, as they are glued to their TVs or computers waiting for the latest news. The 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford last Sunday may or may not have been the catalyst  for Wenger's splurge, but I would hope he knew how much his squad needed strengthening before that game. Surely it took more than one game for him to realise how threadbare his squad was, and all of this transfer action was lined up anyway.

The biggest disappointment of the summer for me was the loss of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, but almost equally disappointing was Arsenal's inability to get their transfer deals completed much earlier. There three Premier League games in August were sacrificed due to the transfer inactivity, and hopefully it wouldn't have too serious an effect on their final league position.

UPDATE:
Arsenal have just announced the signature of Andre Santos on a long term contract from Fenerbache. Hopefully there will be more to follow.
UPDATE NO 2:
Arsenal have confirmed the signature of Mertesacker.

That's it for today.

Here's a little look at what Arsenal's new striker can do.

See You Tomorrow.