Finally the defeat to Aston Villa has got Wenger making some advancements in the transfer market, or as many would put it, has pressed the panic button. Arsenal yesterday made a bid for Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye and have made a bid of £10m for him.
Newcastle, on their part, have wasted no time in rejecting the Gunner’s offer as Cabaye is a vital member of the their squad and was instrumental in the Magpies finishing fifth in the table two seasons ago. The club have no intentions to sell him, although Arsenal will now try to hijack the player. The gunners have offered Newcastle almost the same amount that they themselves paid to Lille in 2011 for the French international. Cabaye is at the peak of his career right now and it is not hard to assume that this sort of a bid would not Newcastle to sell him.
The agony among the fans has reached an optimum level because of Wenger’s lack of spending this summer and it was evident during Arsenal’s first game against Villa on Saturday when the supporters kept on chanting “Spend Spend” the whole time. The squad is also in shambles with the manager finding it increasingly hard to assemble a fit starting eleven. Under such a scenario, Wenger has finally decided to wake up from his hibernation and make some signings.
It has also been reported that if Arsenal fail to sign Cabaye from Newcastle, then they would move for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba. The 20-year old youngster was formerly a Manchester United academy product, but decided to move to the Seria A side for lack of gametime at England. He has shown tremendous skills in only his debut season gaining 27 caps in the league and winning the league with his team.
Arsenal had also shown interest in the player last season with the player himself quoting “There was [interest] this summer with Chelsea and Arsenal, but it was less concrete,”. Although it looks really difficult to sign the player from the Sera champions, if Wenger can get hold of this man, he would be a brilliant addition to his existing squad.
Here are some of the other reported Arsenal targets since their loss to Aston Villa:
TRANSFER RUMOUR: According to the Independent, Wenger looks set to dust down the wallet and bid for Michu: http://t.co/54ejzbzBwn #AFC
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) August 19, 2013
The 'London Evening Standard' reports Arsenal are weighing up a £35m double raid on Swansea for striker Michu and defender Ashley Williams.
— FootballFacts101 (@FootballFact101) August 19, 2013
According to reports, Arsenal will bid £20m for Paul Pogba #afc http://t.co/yg9YKnFfka
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) August 19, 2013
Arsenal transfer news: Wenger readies Grenier bid: Lyon midfielder Clement Grenier has emerged as a transfer t… http://t.co/IvZl8YGQA0
— Barclays PL News (@BarclaysLeague) August 20, 2013
Other rumoured targets include Lars Bender, Geoffrey Kondogbia and Florian Thauvin.