Obviously most of the Arsenal transfer rumours this morning are talking about Arturo Vidal’s imminent arrival at the club, with many publications saying that it is a done deal. Now that Morgan Schneiderlin is going to Man United it is looking more likely that Vidal is heading our way.
The Gunners legend Freddie Lunjberg is very excited by this possibility. “There [are] some rumours about Vidal, a great player, and he gets fuming if he loses the ball, so I like that,” Ljungberg was quoted as saying. “That kind of player would be great for the club.
“I hope they can challenge for the Premier League title. I think in one or two years we’ll have a squad that’s going to compete with anyone. With one or two signings here and there, we can get a stronger squad. We’re getting there and I’m really looking forward to the next couple of years.”
I think Freddie is definitely saying what all of us are thinking. If this deal is announced next week along with Petr Cech then we are definitely on our way to greatness once again.
Another midfielder rumour is saying that Arsenal have been looking at the young Belgian Dennis Praet, who is currently at Anderlecht. In November, his agent, Jacques Lichtenstei, tried to push Praet towards Arsenal when he said: “What could he learn from another season in Belgium after several campaigns at European level and having contributed to three consecutive league titles?
“Clubs like Valencia, Liverpool, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid are all interesting but Dynamo Kiev are not.
“Dennis should go to a team where they play good football.
“He is not far from the level of a club like Arsenal, if they could give him a year’s adjustment period.”
We don’t want players that need adjusting! The 21 year-old is reputed to be very promising, but with Southampton in the market for a replacement for Schneiderlin I think he is more likely to move there…..
One top striker that will NOT be coming to Arsenal is our old rumour favourite Gonzalo Higuain. He is ALWAYS linked with Arsenal with ever-increasing prices being bandied about, but now the Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli has nipped any move in the bud. “Higuain is staying.” he said. “A few Italian clubs asked for information, but he is staying,”
We all know that Lukas Podolski is considering offers from Galatasary and hopefully others, and he now has been warned by the Germany coach Joachim Low that he MUST leave Arsenal or face being dropped by his country. “I told Lukas that he should talk to Arsene Wenger,” Low said. “He should not let things come to him, but instead approach him (Wenger) to find out his plans.
“Is the coach planning with him? And if so, in which role? He has to think about what he wants. I want him to play at least 30 to 40 games.
“He has to play. Two years without any proper match practice would not be a good foundation to participate in Euro 2016.”
I wonder if 30 games with the Arsenal reserves will count? If not, Podolski had better start looking at lots of other clubs!
Lastly, we have been linked with a young Ghanaian defender Abdul Rahman Baba. This 20 year-old looks big and strong, but his club Augsburg have made it clear he won’t come cheap. Klaus Hofmann, the Augsburg president, said earlier this month: “We will certainly not sell Baba for €20m. We are a perfectly healthy club, Baba is one of the top talents in the world. Anyone who wants to offer us a number like €20m, they can save the cost of the call.”
I have a feeling Arsene Wenger won’t be wasting his time either. The 20 year-old helped his club to the heady heights of 5th in the Bundesliga this season, but do Arsenal really need another left back?