da bet sport： Ok, I know Wenger has already stated that he will not be making any signings this winter unless a mass injury plague hits his squad, but should he not sign the necessities?
da jogodeouro： Arsenal have done well so far this season, but in order for the club to maintain a serious title challenge until the end of May, Wenger will need to acquire new faces this January. Having communicated with a lot of Arsenal fans face-to-face and electronically over Twitter in the past months, many have voiced the same concerns as me.
I believe Arsenal need a solid and experienced centre-back as well as a goalkeeper for Lukasz Fabianski to learn off. Although the goals are flying in this season, I still think we lack a top-notch striker, or one that can be relied on. So taking this into account here are the three players I would look to bring in if I was Arsene Wenger:
Shay Given
We have recently been linked with Middlesbrough’s Jason Steele, but the 20-year-old won’t be appropriate at this time, and quite frankly not needed. We need a goalkeeper who has bags of experience and knows the Premier League like the back of his hand, and of course this is where Shay Given comes in. The Irish international has been out-of-favour this season and has been dropped to second choice goalkeeper after Joe Hart’s emergence. Hart is no doubt City’s number one, and as a result has left Given warming the bench. The 34-year-old has not made one single appearance in the Premier League and last month hinted he may have to move in order to play games. Celtic, Manchester United and Arsenal are the three teams interested in the shot-stoppers services and reports suggest that Mancini will allow the Irishman to leave for the amount they purchased for him in 2009…that being £7-8 million. Given is a top-notch keeper who has experience in abundance, which would not doubt teach the younger members of the squad. However, the problem here is, would it be right for Wenger to drop Lukasz Fabianski following his good performances this season? The fact is Fabianski is still young at 25, and in order for him to get better, we need someone who can aid his progression. Fans might be saying ‘well we’ve got Almunia for that’, I would simply reply to those saying ‘no we don’t”. Given would be a great signing for the club and should Wenger go for him this January then I would be a happy Gooner.
[youtube tTb7ykqpL1o]
Continued on Page TWO
Philippe Mexes
Forget Gary Cahill, Philippe Mexes is the man I want partnering Thomas Vermaelen in Arsenal’s back-line. Although Cahill is a good candidate for the job, I think the asking price of £18-20 million is a bit excessive for Wenger. Why spend so much money when you can acquire Mexes for as little as £2 million this winter. The Roma centre-back has dropped down the pecking order this season and has already ordered his agent to search for a new club when the window opens next month. The 28-year-old’s contract does not expire until the end of the season, but the possibility of leaving in January is still on the cards for the Frenchman.
The French international has stated in the past that we would like to play in England and even chose Arsenal as a possible destination, which should have Wenger at least looking at the player this winter. Fans may believe that we have strengthened the defence already this season with the arrivals of Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci in the summer, but the fact is it still looks shaky. Mexes would be unavailable to play in the Champions League, but for domestic triumph he could do a great job for the club. The Roma defender acquires power, agility, knows how to tackle, and has great positioning all in abundance; everything required to handle the Premier League. The centre-back does however have a volatile personality which lands him into trouble at times, which some fans may question and ultimately not like. I am a keen admirer of the player and would love to see him at the club, and for £2 million you can’t go wrong.
[youtube PSiRfPmsR0I]
Karim Benzema
I may be going barmy in my old age, but I have recently seen us linked with the Real Madrid forward this January. If these reports are true, then I would love for Wenger to snap up the powerful striker. Karim Benzema made a megabuck move from Lyon to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 for £30 million (rising to £41 million based on incentives), but has since not been able to settle with the Galacticos. The French international was out-of-favour even before Jose Mourinho’s arrival, and is still struggling to get regular first-team football at present. As a fan, I still believe Arsenal are missing a pure forward man and none come better than Karim Benzema. He has all the abilities required to succeed in the Premier League and could make an excellent addition to the Arsenal team should Wenger go in for him this January. Reports suggest that a bid in the region of £20-25 million could acquire the striker’s services, but somehow I don’t see Wenger spending this much on him, or in fact any player…oh well, here’s hoping.
[youtube rdleF-kahhg]
Read more Arsenal articles at the excellent Gunnersphere website
[divider]
Holy Crap – its live fantasy football! Become part of the Arsenal v Partizan match and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!