Arsenal fans may be understandably worried that Grant Xhaka could end up as Arsenal’s only signing this summer, but not everyone is quite so nervous.
With this season being the last in Wenger’s current contract, the ex-Arsenal striker John Hartson reckons that Le Prof has been saving his pennies to make a big splash this summer and make a real effort to win the title (and a new contract!)
‘They’ve just gone out and bought a good player in Xhaka,’ he said in the Metro. ‘They needed a holding central midfielder and they’ve paid around £30m for him, which is the type of money the Arsenal fans want to see being spent on the best players.
‘I think Arsene Wenger will spend a lot of money this summer. I expect him to spend between £100m and £120m and I think they’ll have a real challenge next season.
‘He’s been holding that money back slightly and been a bit cautious to go and spend it.
‘But after finishing second behind Leicester, the fans will want the title next season and I think he’ll bring in some seriously good players this summer.’
‘They need a centre-forward and a centre-half,’
‘Arsene Wenger has to buy players who can take them forward and enhance the team.
‘They don’t necessarily come cheap but I genuinely feel Arsene Wenger will have a real good go next season and to do that he needs to spend big money.
‘By big money I mean on the top, top strikers around the world and top centre-halves.’
‘Alvaro Morata would be a good signing,’
‘Robert Lewandowski is another one. I think the other one would be Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain.
‘You’ve got Jamie Vardy and one or two others in the Premier League that could be worth a shout too.
‘Arsenal need to be in the market for these kinds of strikers this month.
‘I think this summer you will see a lot of players coming into the club.
‘It will be a really exciting time for Arsenal and it could be a really big season under Arsene Wenger.’
Well, us poor Gooners could certainly do with an exciting summer for a change. At least if Wenger does splash the cash on the fabled “top striker” then at least that will stave off the WengerOut protests until at least January when we drop out of the title race!
Darren