Arsenal face Barcelona battle over top transfer target

First of all, Gooners, I do think that Arsenal should not really have a problem completing this transfer if Arsene Wenger and the board are serious about it and don’t do the usual trick of penny pinching and dithering. But if the Gunners do mess about in the transfer pursuit of Lars Bender, then it could all end in disappointment.

According to the Daily Express, Arsenal are now ready to ramp up our interest in the 25-year old Germany and Bayer Leverkusen star to fill the holding midfield role, after reports from Spain that Sami Khedira looks like staying in Spain’s La Liga and signing a new contract with Real Madrid after all.

Bender has fully recovered from the injury that cruelly robbed him of his place in the World Cup winning Germany national team this summer. But he is now back and has been a massive part of his club’s climb up the Bundesliga into sixth, while they also sit on top of their Champions League group and need just one point from the next two games to guarantee a place in the next round.

Because Bender extended his contract a year ago, Leverkusen will want full value for their central midfield star, which could be around £25 million. And if the Gunners do not make a move for him soon, the fact that FC Barcelona are also very keen on him could come into play. At the minute the Catalan club is banned fr4om the transfer market, but the longer we leave it the more chance there is of Bender thinking it might be worth the wait.

So should Wenger make sure to sign Bender in the January transfer window?

Tags Bender Leverkusen

25 Comments

  1. he’s already said he doesn’t want to join us so I doubt it would happen. But in all honesty he would probably be my #1 choice for the role.

    1. I’m sure Arsene can find a few players out there to fill out that DM role… certainly stronger, fitter & better than what we have already! It’s been about 10 years now and we’ve yet to replace Vieira. Way way too long… Hopefully, we can get this sorted out in January. Plus another CB, of course!
      Onto other things:
      + I like what I see in that Benik Afobe guy. Quite a strong, skillful fella he is turning out to be. I hope what he’s showing is enough for him to make it at the EPL level.
      + I feel bad for Joel Campbell, & would’ve love for him to be given a chance, but it looks like we might not really miss him truthfully.
      + Do NOT let Sánchez learn English… Whatever his interpretation of Wenger’s English instructions is good enough for now! 🙂

  2. hes already said regarding arsenal….oogen sprecken da fecken loobie smecken- which translates to……yo doggie dizzle …i may be a bender but im not a bender – na’ im saying

  3. Off Topic:
    Has Welbeck transfer ruined Campbell’s or Podolski’s chances of getting into team?
    From my view, Wenger was not willing to buy a striker in the last minutes. He said that we have Podolski, Walcott, Sanchez, Campbell, Sanogo, etc. who could have played striker/CF role. Obviously Sanchez at that wasn’t looking like CF. That would have given some chances to Podolski or Campbell.
    After Welbeck transfer, Wenger slotted him directly into CF role. Also at that moment, Podolski and Campbell were not much in form. But had they been given chances, they definitely would have showed their value.
    And after some of Welbeck’s great performances, Wenger opted him for CF role. Sanchez definitely, with his performances, guaranteed his starting place,for left wing I guess.
    Then comes Chamberlain. In starting he was not in form, but gradually, he made progress and I consider him in good form after his recent perormances. At last, comes Cazorla, he was also doing good in creating chances, and overall play(at that time).
    The only rotation I somewhat observed was in midfield, that also based on injury list.
    But I ponder what would have happened if Welbeck transfer wouldn’t have take place??

    1. Chamberlain only came to form the moment he spotted Walcott on the bench against Burnley,Anderlecht and Swansea. All those days walcott wasn’t on teh bench he was being lazy.
      Cazorla has gone of the boil. When Ozil was here, Cazorla played better for us, but again sine Ozil has been injured he is also playing casually.

  4. Wenger is not stupid. The thing with him is that he simple doesnt want to try anymore. He himslef, and many Arsenal supportters see him as the greatest manager we ever had. Those who question him, see the door or they do see the bench.

    1. Some folks have been saying Wenger has a good reason for not playing Rosicky— could probably be due to his age. But that just not so acceptable. Rosicky is a very phenomenal player. Irrespective of his age, he is very pacey, dribbles well and swift at passing too. Sometimes I think he would have done better than either Cazorla or Ozil, if played regularly.

      Arsene Knows Best

    2. Try? He keeps trying the same, out of form players over and over again, just to get them in form for a couple games. Everyone knows he starts his favourite players first.

  5. Wenger logic no.28

    ‘He can play there’, when asked the question in a pre season, pre match conference about Monreal playing in CB.

    Bonus

    Wenger logic no.37

    ‘We have found the balance between attack and defence’ in a pre match press conference, after only keeping clean sheet against Sunderland and Burnley. The bang, we conceed 3 in quick succession against Anderlecht and then 2 in quick succession against Swansea in the following 2 matches.

    1. Unfortunately Wenger seems to demonstrate no logic at the moment.. Ozil playing on the wing, playing Monreal against a tall striker at Swansea when he could’ve used CC with Bellerin, not bringing on Walcott when we really needed him in the last couple of games, then sending him off for a full England tour, when he should be managing his comeback, loaning Jenkinson to West Ham, selling Vermaelen, not playing Campbell, bringing on Sanogo whenever possible rather than Pod, not changing the team to respond to the opposition’s substitutions, not getting a holding DM we’ve desperately needed for 2 seasons, not renewing our reserve goalkeeper’s contract and then buying Ospina who was already carrying a long term injury…. I could fill up this entire page and these are all mismanagement problems, not player problems.

      I don’t know what’s going on with him, but he either needs to sort it out or go.

      1. Wenger logic no 47.

        Bring on Sanogo when looking for a late equalizer against Swansea. What does Sanogo do first? He comes on and straightaway pushes a player to the ground, free kick Swansea. This is what his favourite players do, they don’t payback the oppportunity they are given in the team for free regardless of form, and that is why other players are frustrated when they cannot get a spot in the team. Everyone else would’ve bought on Podolski at end, not Wenger.

  6. at DMF;

    Coquelin >= Arteta
    Coquelin > Flamini
    Arteta > Flamini

    Wenger logic no 42

    Loan out Coquelin to Charlton.

    1. @HA559, I really don’t know why Coquelin had to be sent out, considering how versatile he is. Sincerely, I do think he makes a better DM than the hairstylist and the traffic warden (Flamini)

    1. And why haven’t we been winning trophies as much as we should? Simply because we’ve not had very good players that can make the team thick enough.

      Bender is very good, if he comes, we’d be made better. But my only fear is that the Converter might just make him play as a striker.

      1. @sollygunner
        Spot on dude. Plus, I have a real life and ain’t about wasting time goin round and round with ignorant youngsters…

  7. Wenger’s philosophy spend : spend big money on 1 signing a year to shut up the fans. But be cheap with the rest of the team.

    Wenger loves Arteta, Flamini, Diaby, Wilshere so no need for a DM.

    Wenger is also extremely stubborn and set in his ways. He is so stubborn that he will substitute in a match at 78th minute because he believes that his starting lineup is good enough.

    With Wenger expect stagnation and 4th place ambition

  8. What thing i noticed about our DM role is that, since Viera and Gilberto left, Wenger has never spend a dime on DM. All our DM are either playing in the team before(Flamini, Denilson, Song, Arteta) been giving chance to play DM or come as a free transfer(Bischoff and Flamini). Come to think of it, why has Wenger never sign a DM? His he searching everywhere for his next Viera or Gilberto?
    Now my question is, for how many years will it be?

    I know he wont be sack, so when he finally sign a DM, I believe it will be a good DM.

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