Having only just managed to finish in fourth place last season, Arsenal’s long streak of qualifying for consecutive Champions League campaigns remains intact, but to make it last time they needed to win eight of their last 10 games. This suggests that, to make it easier, Arsene Wenger’s team must spend big in the transfer window in a number of areas.
Recently, club chief executive Ivan Gazidis said that Wenger would be given something in the region of £70m to spend this summer to try and win a major trophy for the first time since 2005. This is a sizeable amount that could help them bring the superstars necessary to help them mount an effective title challenge, but will the usually cautious Wenger go against his nature this time?
Europe or bust?
Despite finishing in fourth place, Arsenal isn’t in the group stages just yet. To make them, they must win a two-legged qualifying tie which could be against a side such as Lyon, Real Sociedad or PSV Eindhoven. Focusing too hard on this tie might see them falter in the league early on, which may mean yet another struggle to make the top four, something some fans have grown weary of.
To ensure that Arsenal is well-placed to compete domestically and continentally, Wenger could break the habit of a lifetime and spend big without selling a major star. One rumoured arrival is Argentina and Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain, who appears to be surplus to requirements at the Bernabeu. He could cost the Gunners over £20m, but his goal record suggests he’s worth it.
Wayne on his way
Other names linked with Arsenal in recent weeks include the unsettled Manchester United star Wayne Rooney, Celtic ‘s Victor Wanyama and the Swansea defender Ashley Williams. Of the three, Williams looks the most likely to join, given his desire to leave the League Cup holders, but Rooney is unlikely as a result of Higuain’s impending arrival.
Wanyama is someone that Wenger could do with, especially as they currently lack a midfield enforcer since the sale of Alex Song to Barcelona a year ago. Although the Kenyan would be a realistic signing, it’s likely that he could join either Southampton or newly-promoted Cardiff City instead, although his agent has made a move a little more complicated than it might have been.
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