Transfer deadline day—a day where anything can happen, hundreds of millions of pounds are spent and Sky Sports’ Jim White holds our attention for several hours. For Arsenal fans, though, it’s just another day of the week.
The Gunners have invested heavily in their squad over the summer as they look to build from last season’s FA Cup triumph, but fans’ call for the club to bring a new striker to the Emirates is now louder than ever.
With Olivier Giroud out injured and Yaya Sanogo not quite ready to cut it at the highest level, Arsenal are in desperate need of a world-class front man to complete their squad and look to be turning to a Swan on their quest.
Swansea City striker Wilfried Bony has been linked with a move to Arsenal throughout the summer, but time is now running out for Arsene Wenger to get his man.
However, as Ben Jefferson of the Daily Express reports, the Gunners are hoping to make Bony an Arsenal player by 11 p.m. BST on Monday, with a £19 million bid reportedly planned.
The Ivory Coast international signed for the Swans from Dutch side Vitesse last summer and went on to score 17 Premier League goals in an impressive debut campaign, per SoccerWay .
A striker with a great deal of power and finishing ability, it’s not difficult to see why Arsenal could be chasing Bony, and Gunners fans’ hopes for his signature were stepped up after some deadline-day activity from the Swans.
As the club’s official Twitter feed revealed, Modou Barrow made the switch to the Liberty Stadium from Ostersunds FK on Monday, with manager Gary Monk bolstering his attacking options:
However, the gulf in class between Bony and Barrow would suggest that the latter is heading in as a squad player rather than a first-team regular.
Even so, all Arsenal seemingly need to do to bring Bony to the Emirates is activate the striker’s release clause, but forcing Wenger to dig deep into his pockets is a much harder task than it sounds.
With that in mind, Monk believes that no offers will come in for Bony on deadline day, saying that the 25-year-old is enjoying his life in South Wales, via Andrew Gwilym of the Daily Express :
I don't expect a call about Wilf on Monday, but it is not my concern. If it comes it comes, but we are in a very strong position where we do not have to sell any player. Wilfried is committed, he is focused on what we want to do. If he was coming in and moping around disillusioned we would have a problem. But he does not do that, he comes in and commits and is at one with the group.
James Dodd of TalkSport also believes that Bony will be staying put in Swansea, as he revealed that the player’s agent has confirmed as much:
If Bony isn ’t the answer to Arsenal’s forward problems, then it appears that the striker hunting at the Emirates has ceased for the summer.
The repercussions of that could be dire for the Gunners, as their Premier League matches have shown already this season that a proven goalscorer is desperately needed in their setup.
Pre -season optimism has now turned to depression for Arsenal fans, with Piers Morgan summing up how accepting another season of mediocrity feels:
Away from the front line now, the Gunners are also looking to land a big-name defender on deadline day.
According to Jefferson, West Ham United defender Winston Reid is currently being eyed by Wenger , with a £3 million bid reportedly on the way.
The New Zealand international has just one year remaining on his contract at Upton Park and could prove a good replacement for former skipper Thomas Vermaelen .
However, Wenger is unlikely to part with a single penny unless a player considerably improves his squad, and Reid doesn ’t quite fit that criteria.
At the start of the season, we were saying just how exciting a time it was to be a Gunner, but three sloppy performances later and suddenly, it’s panic stations at the Emirates.
If the Gunners fail to add to their squad before the end of the window, then you can essentially take Premier League glory out of the equation. Time is of the essence, Mr. Wenger .
//from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1w0QbR2
via IFTTT September 01, 2014 at 10:00AM
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