Everywhere you turn there is a fresh rumour about a striker that Arsenal will sign this summer and it is becoming a bit of a pain to see so many linked and then turned away. Mario Balotelli was a constant feature in the press all over Europe, with many reports suggesting that the Italian was going to join the Gunners. Those particular rumours, however have died down.
Bacary Sagna was such an important player for Arsenal last season with solid performances in almost every game he featured in. He has been a stalwart for the Gunners since he joined the North Londoners back in 2007. Therefore, a replacement has big shoes to fill as the Arsenal fans are used to seeing that right side so strong. There have been many full-backs linked the Gunners in recent weeks and at one point the club were very close to signing Serge Aurier from Toulouse, but that seems a distant memory now.
One of the perks of obtaining a manager who is currently managing in the World Cup is that they have a good relationship with their players and are in constant interaction with other stars. This can help when trying to purchase some of the talents who are participating in the competition. With so many success stories at this year’s edition in Brazil, Louis van Gaal has a pool of talent to dip his toes into.
The Gunners are currently in possession of just one first team goalkeeper. It shouldn’t take anyone long to realise that Arsenal will almost certainly sign a new one this summer and if the club don’t then Arsene Wenger would be making a big mistake. Lukasz Fabianski has walked out as a free agent after Arsenal couldn’t tie him down to a new contract. Emiliano Viviano was only a season-long loan which means that he will go back home to his parent club. That leaves just Wojciech Szczesny as the only keeper the Gunners have.
When you think of all the business Chelsea have done this summer, it is clear that their intentions are to seriously challenge for the Premier League title as well trying to repeat their Champions League heroics of 2012. They want to compete on all fronts and are assembling a squad big enough to do so. Cesc Fabregas has already joined the Blues, Diego Costa is all but confirmed and Tiago looks likely as well.
It is well documented that Arsenal are chasing a new defensive midfielder to give the Gunners an alternative to Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini. Arsene Wenger is certainly eying a much younger, fitter and overall better midfielder to ensure that his defence get the best cover he can afford. With increased cover for his defenders, it could help them in the games that they tend to struggle in and prevent any chance of complete and utter capitulation.
Chelsea have a great selection of midfielders at the club who can all put in a shift when required to. They can call on any of Nemanja Matic, Ramires, Marco van Ginkel, John Obi Mikel, Oscar and now Cesc Fabregas. All have varied strengths and weaknesses, but all complement each other in one way or another. It is hard to see where improvements need to be made, especially as Fabregas has added that world class talent to the midfield.
Ever since January there has been talk of Thomas Vermaelen’s future, with the Gunners’ options being discussed by publications all over Britain. As he is the captain of Arsenal, they can’t let him go to a rival club despite the fact that he was not favoured at all last season. If Arsenal were to sell, they would try to send him abroad. However, there is the argument that Vermaelen is good enough to play as back-up to Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.