Arsenal Still Await Cech Arrival With Schneiderlin Set To Follow Him

It's been a week since I wrote about the latest wheelings and dealings for Arsenal this summer and in truth nothing concrete has actually happened. There is money available to strengthen the squad, but players will have to leave to make way for any new arrivals. As always the rumour mill has been in full swing and it's not easy to separate the club's actual targets from the host of made up stories.

It does look as if the Petr Cech rumours are true though and it seems to be just a matter of time before he signs on the dotted line. A keeper of his experience will be a great addition to the squad, but it could lead to the exit of one of the other keepers. At the moment the rumour mill would suggest David Ospina is the most likely suspect to exit, but it would be strange if Arsenal sold him only a year after signing him.

I'm not sure if the current version of Cech is as good as he was a few years ago and whether he's a better option in goal than either Ospina or Wojciech Szczesny. He is proven at the very top though and has a list of medals as long as his arm to go with it too. Ex Arsenal players are queueing up to declare what a great signing he would be and the general consensus would seem to be that he's the top class keeper Arsenal have needed for many seasons.

With the Cech deal almost tied up the emphasis seems to be shifting to Morgan Schneiderlin and his possible arrival. Yet again he fits the bill for what Arsenal require and it would make sense for both the player and Arsenal if he was to join them. He won't come cheaply though and Arsenal will have to see off competition for his signature from plenty of other clubs if they're going to get their man.

The emergence of Francis Coquelin has made the necessity for a player like Schneiderlin not quite so important with Mikel Arteta hopefully back to full fitness next season too. I think there would be room in the Arsenal team for both Coquelin and Schneiderlin on occasions and he would certainly make the squad stronger. With trophies to be chased on all fronts next season I think it would make perfect sense to being Schneiderlin or a similar player in.

As usual there are plenty of stories linking Arsenal players with exits and the latest player is Laurent Koscielny. If the rumours are to be believed Real Madrid are the latest club to show an interest in the player I consider to be Arsenal's best and most important defender. It wouldn't make any sense at all for Arsenal to sell Koscielny and I would be very surprised if they were to even consider an offer for him.

The rumours of a Manchester City bid for Jack Wilshere still persist and talk of an exit for Theo Walcott won't go away either until he signs a new contract. I would be more than surprised if Arsenal had any intention of letting either player go despite the fact that their chances could be limited at times next season. They both have an awful lot to offer the team and it would cost so much more to replace them than Arsenal could expect to get for either player.

It's quite possible that Lukas Podolski could be on his way out though to make way for new players despite declaring his intention to stay at the club. I think it's more likely for him to be sold while both Yaya Sanogo and Carl Jenkinson look like spending more time out on loan this coming season. Premier League clubs are apparently lining up to borrow Jenkinson who I see as more likely to have a long term future at the club than Sanogo who looks more likely to spend his proposed loan spell abroad.

Finally for today I think it's about time I announced the winner of the competition I ran last week for a copy of Football Manager 2015. The lucky winner was Shaurya Vineet who will be hearing from me shortly in order to claim the prize. Thanks to everybody who entered the competition and read the review of the game by the guest reviewer (my son).

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Seven Possible Arsenal Transfer Targets

With the real football over for another season we can be sure the summer will be filled with the usual transfer speculation for Arsenal as well as every other club. As season's go 2014/15 wasn't a bad one for Arsenal as they retained the FA Cup and managed to go one better in the league than last season by finishing third. We could dwell on the fact that second place was there for the taking towards the end, but I think the players held a little back for the cup final which is why the league performances faltered in the last few weeks. 

The victory in the cup final was fantastic and so unlike last season as they dominated from first to last minute to win 4-0. There's still a lot of work to be done if they're going to challenge for the title next season, but most of the signs are very positive. If they're going to take that next step they will need to add to the squad this summer and the players below are just a few of those already linked to Arsenal. I'll try to give my opinion on each of them to the best of my knowledge and judge what I think are the actual chances of Arsenal signing each player.

Gonzalo Higuain

Arsenal were very close to signing Higuain a couple of years ago and had supposedly agreed a price with Real Madrid before Napoli came in and offered more. Arsenal decided to concentrate their efforts on Luis Suarez at the time, but they didn't get their man after he chose to stay at Liverpool for another season at least. With Rafa Benetiz departing Napoli for Madrid and no Champions League football for the Italian club next season there are rumours of his departure from the club.

I'm not so sure Higuain is the player Arsenal need and I don't think he's particularly better than what they have already. Olivier Giroud had a very good return this season considering how long he was out injured and I don't think Higuain is so much better than him that Arsenal should invest a large chunk of their transfer fund in him. I think Arsenal need to find a striker who can match the very best and I just don't think Higuain is quite up to that level.

Jackson Martinez

Martinez has done well with Porto and has a very good goals per game ratio, but the Portugese league isn't exactly among the elite leagues in Europe. Prior to joining Porto he wasn't as prolific and he's no younger that Giroud or Higuain either. He does have more pace than either of them though and he might just fit nicely into Arsenal's style of play given the chance.

Porto don't sell their players cheaply though and I expect Arsenal would have to pay a very high price for a player who will be 29 before the year is out. If they're going to pay through the nose for a striker I would prefer to see a younger player come in who might grow with the team and become a great player. I know a tried and trusted scorer with plenty of pace is what's needed, but I'm not certain Martinez is that player either.

Karim Benzema

Benzema has done well in a Real Madrid team where he can never be top dog with the ego of Cristiano Ronaldo alongside him. He hasn't set the world alight for me though and his goal scoring rate is hardly that of a world class striker. I know Ronaldo grabs all the headlines at Madrid, but surely Benzema should have a few more goals to his name in such a free scoring team.

There's also the small matter of the pay scale at Arsenal and what Benzema is currently getting paid in Madrid. I can't see him taking a large cut in his pay to join Arsenal even if the new management at Madrid decide he is surplus to requirements. For me Benzema doesn't do enough often enough to warrant Arsenal breaking the bank to sign him.

Emerick Aubameyang

Abumeyang is a little younger than the other three strikers I've mentioned as he won't be 26 until later this month. His pace certainly fits the profile for the striker I think Arsenal need to sign and he has had a good season in terms of scoring goals with Borussia Dortmund. He won't be easy to pry away from them, but he has been rumoured to be looking for a move with no Champions League football for Dortmund next season.

If he can be acquired at a price to suit Arsenal he might just be the player for Arsene Wenger to turn into the striker he's looking for. Given the choice of course I would love to see Sergio Aguero or Luis Suarez in the Arsenal team and either player would surely help to take the team to the next level, but neither of them are coming our way. It might not be a bad thing for Aubameyang to become an Arsenal player though and I personally would prefer him to Higuain, Martinez or Benzema.

Morgan Schneiderlin

Schneiderlin is a different type of player to what Arsenal have at the moment and he might be something more in the mould of Patrick Vieira. Francis Coquelin has grabbed his chance with both hands since he got into the team, but his emergence doesn't mean there's no place in the squad or the team for another player who can play a defensive midfield role. Schneiderlin offers more going forward than Coquelin though as well as being more than capable of doing the donkey work which Coquelin has excelled at.

A squad with both of those players would leave plenty of room for rotation and even the option of a proper double defensive axis when it's required. Arsenal can offer him Champions League football and he's at the stage in his career where he needs to play at the next level. There will be plenty of competition to sign Schneiderlin after his impressive season with Southampton, but surely Arsenal have to be right up there with a chance to sign him and I think he would be a valuable addition to the squad.

Peter Cech

Cech has had a great career with Chelsea, but he has lost his place to Thibaut Courtois and wants to play first team football. Arsenal have two good keepers in David Ospina and Wojciech Szczesny, but I'm not sure if either of them are the real deal. I think Arsenal need a better keeper than either of them and the question is whether Cech is that player or not.

I'm not so sure about Cech though and I don't think he's the keeper he was a few years ago. I don't think he's as quick off his line as he used to be and he's not as good on crosses either, but he is still probably better than both Ospina and Szczesny. If the rumours are to be believed he's on the way out of Chelsea and wants to stay in London which would make Arsenal a very attractive option for him.

Raheem Sterling

Sterling has apparently made it clear to Liverpool that he won't be signing a new contract and they could be forced to sell him as a result whether they want to or not. He has two years to run on his contract and they would still get a very good price for him this summer. If he's looking to challenge for trophies and play in the Champions League he could do a lot worse than making the switch to Arsenal.

Whether Arsenal should sign him or not is another thing and I'm not so sure he would make the team any better for the price Liverpool would charge. He can beat players for fun at times, but his finishing leaves a lot to be desired and I think Arsenal should spend their money elsewhere. I can't imagine his wage demands will be anything but high and I'm not sure he's good enough to earn the sort of money that world class players like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez earn.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Closing In On Their Transfer Targets

With the World Cup getting close to it's conclusion and Arsenal's players already preparing to start their pre season training it's surely time for the club to close in on their transfer targets. A few players have left the club to make way for the incoming players and the most notable of them is Bacary Sagna. With his departure on a free transfer to City there is a gaping hole in the Arsenal defence and it needs to be filled quickly.

It has to be remembered that Sagna was not only the first choice right back, but he also filled in at centre back too. His ability to do so meant Arsenal got away with having only three centre backs and they will have to buy two players to replace Sagna. There has been plenty of talk about impending arrivals of right backs, but nowhere near as much when it comes to centre backs.

The most recent right back to be linked with Arsenal is Newcastle's Mathieu Debuchey and he could be available at a price which might just tempt Arsenal. For me Sagna is a better defender, but Debuchey offers more going forward. He's keeping Sagna out of the French team at the moment but given a choice I would have Sagna before Debuchey every single time.

Of course it's not a choice as Sagna has chosen to pursue his footballing interests on the City bench with a much heftier wage packet to comfort him. He'll be sorely missed but at least Debuchey has plenty of experience in the Premier League if he is the one to replace him and he would certainly add something to the team going forward. I would be a little worried about his temperament though and he's always likely to lose the plot and get himself sent off. 

In midfield it seems as if Arsenal have identified Arturo Vidal as the player they want to strengthen the team. He looked very good in a classy Chile side in the World Cup and he could be the box to box powerhouse Arsenal are looking for. It won't be easy to pry him away from Juventus though and he will only be sold if Juventus decide to sell him. 

There are plenty of others teams who would be interested in signing Vidal if Juventus do decide to sell and I would imagine it would become a bidding war very quickly. As it is United are said to be chasing his signature and City could quickly become interested if Yaya Toure decides he no longer wants to play for them. I would be surprised if Vidal ended up at Arsenal and they might have a better chance of landing one of their other targets such as Morgan Schneiderlin, Lars Bender or Sami Khedira.

Arsenal have shown an interest in Bender and Khedira before while Schneiderlin seems to be one of many players on the way out of Southampton. All three of them could be good additions to the Arsenal team/squad and it's not easy to know which one would fit in best at the club. Despite both Khedira and Bender having played the game at a higher level than Schneidelin he would still cost as much as he would be coming from an English team and that always pushes the price up.   

It won't be easy to pry Bender from Bayer Leverkusen as he signed a new contract not so long ago and Madrid won't be easily persuaded to part with Khedira. It might be easier to get Schneiderlin with so much change going on at Southampton and a new manager taking the reins too. His cost might be prohibitive but it does look like the club are looking for a defensive midfielder and all three of those players fit the bill. At a push I think Bender might be the one to suit Arsenal best, but he could be the hardest of all of them to sign.

In an attacking role it looks as if Arsenal could be closing in on a deal for Alexis Sanchez and it would be great to see him sign for the club. He's an exceptional talent and could be the attacking player the team needs to push even harder on all fronts next season. Arsenal aren't the only team after Sanchez though and I won't believe he's an Arsenal player until I see a photo of him with an Arsenal shirt and the news is confirmed on the official club site. 

If the reports are to be believed Liverpool wanted him as a makeweight in the deal which will send Luis Suarez to Barcelona, but Sanchez wasn't keen on the move. Juventus are said to be keen too and despite so many supposed "in the knows" claiming the deal is done he's still not an Arsenal player yet. With a new kit provided by a new manafacturer about to be launched it would make perfect sense for such a big signing to be unveiled as the first signing in the Puma kit.

I can only dream at the prospect of Sanchez and Theo Walcott running through on passes played by Mesut Ozil. Of course us Arsenal fans have been here before and usually had our hopes dashed, but the tide might have turned with the Ozil purchase last summer. Hopefully Sanchez will arrive and help Arsenal to play some really exciting attacking football next season.

At the moment the Debuchey deal looks very close to being done and the Sanchez one could possibly follow it very quickly. I'm not so sure whether the deals for any of the other three will follow but I wouldn't be disappointed if any one of the three signed. There's still a long way to go to the end of the transfer window, but it looks like Arsenal are gearing up to get some signings in well before deadline day.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.