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In part 1, we saw 13 players who were linked with Arsenal. We take a look at the rest.
14) Hatem Ben Arfa (Age – 25)
Current Club - Newcastle United
Rumour Rating - Medium. Rumours have died down since they were all over in August-September.
Attributes - A bright young talent, with pace to burn on the wings. Scores spectacular goals occasionally. Has had disciplinary issues in the past. Has had scuffles with Diaby and Squillaci in the past.
Pedigree - Curvy. Has never put a consistent run together, but is capable of something special.
Do we need him? - Not really. Consistency and discipline are the key words, and Ben Arfa lacks both.
Probability of Happening - Weak to Medium. Looks out of place at Newcastle, and could probably be eyeing a move to a top club.
15) Luis Nani (Age – 26)
Current Club - Manchester United
Rumour Rating - Medium. Linked after reportedly falling out with Alex Ferguson. Was pictured outside Watford’s training ground, to attend his son’s football match, but blown out of proportion by the media, who reported it as Arsenal’s training ground.
Attributes - Pacy, tricky winger with good crossing ability. On his day, can beat any defender. Scores some goals as well. Fantastic celebration. Arrogant prick of the first order.
Pedigree - Curvy. Has never been consistent enough, despite the tag of being a left sided Cristiano Ronaldo, when he first arrived at United.
Do we need him? - Maybe we do, but please, no more c***s!
Probability of Happening - Weak. Can’t really picture him in an Arsenal shirt.
16) Isco (Age – 20)
Current Club - Malaga
Rumour Rating - Medium. His stellar performances for Malaga in the league as well as in Europe have attracted attention from all over Europe.
Attributes – A fine attacking midfielder, with an eye for a pass. Scores some goals as well, and highly rated by Spanish youth coaches.
Pedigree - Pretty Good. Is the holder of the Golden Boy Award, an award won by no-hopers like van der Vaart, Rooney, Messi, Fabregas, Aguero, Gotze to name a few.
Do we need him? - Would be a great signing, but the problem would be accommodating him in an already crowded midfield
Probability of Happening - Weak. We are really looking for a defensive midfielder at the moment.
17) Lucas Biglia (Age – 26)
Current Club - Anderlecht
Rumour Rating - Medium. Has been linked for over a year now, with reports surfacing now and then, especially when Arsenal’s defensive midfield problems are under scrutiny.
Attributes - Argentine international. Has good European experience with Anderlecht of Belgium. A disciplined defensive midfielder.
Pedigree - Good. One of the best players in the Belgian league. A move to a bigger league would help showcase his talents.
Do we need him? - Would be a great signing, and most definitely be a step towards solving our defensive midfield problems.
Probability of Happening - Medium.
FORWARDS
18) Wilfried Zaha (Age – 20)
Current Club - Crystal Palace
Rumour Rating – Strong. Has been linked for quite some time, and Arsenal seem closest to snapping up the youngster.
Attributes - Bags of pace. Raw, but skillful and can trouble any defender on his day.
Pedigree - Reasonably good. Was voted the Football League’s Young Player of the Year in 2012. Earned his first cap recently, in a friendly against Sweden.
Do we need him? - Not really, considering we have Chamberlain, and Miyachi coming through. The hope is still that Walcott will sign a new contract.
Probability of Happening - Medium. Arsene Wenger is an admirer, and he has recently taken a liking to young English talents. Could very well be happening.
***********SPOILER ALERT – NOT HAPPENING!**********
19) Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Age – 29)
Current Club - Schalke 04
Rumour Rating - Strong. Very very strong. Arsenal and Liverpool remain the only two clubs his agent claims want to sign the experienced Dutch international. Some German reports, who first reported the Podolski deal, claim this one is as good as done.
Attributes - Finishing, finishing and er, finishing. A brilliant goal poacher, who knows where the back of the net lies like I know the back of my PC when I am browsing for
Pedigree - Strong. Has played for some top clubs like Ajax, Real Madrid, Milan and Schalke. Basically, the strongest leagues in Europe. The Premier League remains unchartered territory. Scored 48 goals last season.
Do we need him? - Yes please. We are still a striker short of having a strong strike force. Moreover, we can have our own Dutch goal machine.
Probability of Happening - Very low. He signed a contract extension with Schalke only 3 days ago and that means that he wouldn’t be available for the low price that would have been attractive.
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20) Edin Dzeko (Age – 26)
Current Club - Manchester City
Rumour Rating - Medium. Was linked during the van Persie saga, when City had offered the Bosnian plus cash for RvP. Rumours have started recirculating since Dzeko has not been able to hold on to a first team place.
Attributes - The definition of a supersub. Never scores when he starts, never starts when he scores. For some strange reason, doesn’t start games too well, but loves taking on defenders while coming late on. Without his late goals, City would be languishing in mid-table this season.
Pedigree - Good. A known goal scorer in the Bundesliga and in the Premier League.
Do we need him? - Maybe. If Wenger can somehow work his magic and make him score when he starts, would be a great signing. But, looks like a player similar to Giroud.
Probability of Happening - Low. City know the value of having him on the bench. Wenger may be looking for a different type of striker as well.
21) Fernando Llorente (Age – 27)
Current Club - Athletic Bilbao
Rumour Rating - Medium. Has been linked to several clubs for a couple of years now.
Attributes - A goal scorer. Has been integrated into the Spanish style of play at Bilbao and with Spain.
Pedigree - Good. One of the best strikers in the Spanish League, and highly revered by Bilbao fans.
Do we need him? - Probably. Considering his goal scoring record, we may well sign him. Again, like Dzeko, too similar to Giroud.
Probability of Happening - Medium. May take some time to suit to the Premier League.
22) Edinson Cavani (Age – 25)
Current Club - Napoli
Rumour Rating - Medium. Has been linked with top clubs all over Europe.
Attributes - Loves scoring goals. A hard working player, who has a ferocious shot. Can conjure the sublime with the outrageous.
Pedigree - Strong. Feared all over the Serie A. Scored 66 goals in the last two seasons.
Do we need him? - Yes please. Would be one of the biggest signings the club will make, if he signs. A real marquee signing.
Probability of Happening – Low to Medium. He may well come to the Premier League, but his asking price may be a bit too much for Arsenal to shell out.
23) Adrian Lopez (Age – 24)
Current Club - Atletico Madrid
Rumour Rating - Medium.
Attributes - Not an out and out goal scorer, but a good support striker. A false 9, if you like.
Pedigree - Reasonable. Has been overshadowed by a certain Radamel Falcao at club level. Scored 19 goals in all competitions last season.
Do we need him? - Yes. Would be a good option up front.
Probability of Happening - Medium
24) Demba Ba (Age – 27)
Current Club - Newcastle United
Rumour Rating - Weak to Medium. Has been wanting away from Newcastle in recent times.
Attributes - Strong physical striker, who has taken to the Premier League like a fish to water. Can score from everywhere on the pitch. Known to be temperamental.
Pedigree - Good. A known goal scorer in the Premier League.
Do we need him? - Mixed views on this. No doubts about his talent, but whether he will suit Arsenal’s style of play.
Probability of Happening - Medium. Not really Arsenal material.
25) David Villa (Age – 31)
Current Club - Barcelona
Rumour Rating - Weak to Medium. His lack of chances at Barcelona in recent times have been the catalyst for such rumors.
Attributes - Short quick striker, with a penchant for scoring goals. Goals. Many of them. Abundance. A lot of it.
Pedigree - Good. One of the most lethal strikers in Europe, a couple of seasons back, but suffered an injury which kept him out for an entire season. Has lost his place in the team since.
Do we need him? - Mixed views on this. No doubts about his talent, but whether he will suit Arsenal’s style of play.
Probability of Happening - Low. Can’t really see Arsene splashing £12 million for a 31 year old.
