The transfer window remains some way out of sight, with many more months to go before it opens. But that doesn’t stop the media from keeping an interest in Arsenal’s rumours over transfer targets, and reports today suggest that Southampton star Dusan Tadic could be on Wenger’s wish list.
There is a dire need for fresh faces around the Emirates, with the current group of players and management having gone stale in their Premier League challenge. Arsene Wenger himself could be on the way out before the transfer window opens, but that won’t stop the Gunners from identifying who their key transfer targets are for the summer.
Dusan Tadic is a fan favourite on the south coast, having become a real hit with Southampton. He’s become an important member of the team and we’ve seen on more than one occasion in the Premier League, just how much of an impact he can have on a game. He’s proven a handful to the Gunners in the past and so it remains unsurprising that Arsenal would be interested in such a player.
The report suggests that there is a rumoured £13 million price tag, which is of course quite cheap in today’s transfer market. He holds plenty of Premier League experience and so would have no issues with adapting to new surroundings; however there are a few concerns surrounding such a transfer in my opinion.
Personally I don’t think that Tadic holds the level of quality that we should be looking for at Arsenal. He seems like a typical Arsene Wenger style signing, in the sense that he’s a player who can make an impact, but probably isn’t going to take your team to the next level. With a rumoured £13 million price tag, it goes to show that he probably isn’t of the highest quality that we should be looking at, especially as the top quality players are going for double that price nowadays. There’s no doubt that Tadic would have the right level of Premier League experience to be a potential hit, but unfortunately he probably wouldn’t bring the quality we are in desperate need of at Arsenal.
Secondly, do the Gunners really need another winger on the books? Arsenal have of course lost Alexis from the wings, with the Chilean taken up a striker role full time. So we are arguably a man down on the wing, but that’s not forgetting we still have Walcott, Welbeck, Iwobi and Oxlade-Chamberlain. But if we were interested in Tadic, I think I would rather bring back Joel Campbell who does have plenty of promise, he just hasn’t been properly used under Wenger.
In my opinion therefore, the Gunners should hold no interest in Dusan Tadic. The club should be aiming for a player with much more quality, with Champions a League experience and someone who has the potential to help take the Gunners to the next level.
By AH