It was a near-perfect end to the 2014/15 season for Arsenal, finishing third in the Premier League and thrashing Aston Villa 4-0 at Wembley to retain the FA Cup for another year.
But the beginning of the season – particularly, a run of just four wins in their first their first twelve Premier League outings – wasn’t quite so spectacular. If the Gunners are to launch their most viable title charge for almost a decade next term, they’ll have to come out of the blocks flying.
That, however, will be largely dependent on how quick and efficiently the north London outfit operate during the summer transfer window. Last minute acquisitions, such as £16million signing Danny Welbeck, often require added time to settle, whilst making the wrong signings could well rupture Arsenal’s title bid altogether.
With that in mind, we at Football Fancast have listed the FIVE signings that would constitute the perfect summer transfer window for the Emirates outfit.
Would the Gunners easily grab next term’s crown with these five on board?
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PETR CECH
Let’s start with the obvious – Chelsea’s Petr Cech.
David Ospina has performed well since stepping in for Wojceich Szczesny as Arsenal’s No.1 earlier this season but a world-class ‘keeper of the Czech international’s variety would hugely boost the Gunners’ title credentials ahead of the 2015/16 campaign.
The 6 foot 5 shot-stopper is one of the greatest goalkeepers in Premier League history, boasting four league titles, the 2012 Champions League title and 333 appearances for the Blues, and at 32 years of age could still have a decade left at top level.
Having lost his starting berth to the prodigious Thibaut Courtois and with just a year remaining on his Stamford Bridge contract, the Premier League champions are almost certain to sell in the coming window.
Despite prior reports on the contrary, The Telegraph claim Chelsea will allow the £10million-rated goalkeeper to join the Gunners this summer, whilst The Express reported yesterday evening that Cech wants to stay in London.
BENEDIKT HOWEDES
Although Arsenal’s regular back four will likely remain intact next season, another body thrown into the mix certainly wouldn’t go amiss – at which point, I turn your attentions to Schalke captain Benedikt Howedes.
He’s at best upon the peripheries of world football’s centre-back elite but the 26 year-old is famed for being a true defensive all-rounder, equally comfortable at right-back, left-back, centre-half and even defensive midfield.
The 6 foot 2 defender also boasts a wealth of experience at the top end of the game, with 53 appearances in European competitions and 32 caps for Germany under his belt – for whom he served as a left back during their successful World Cup bid last summer.
He’d add huge depth and experience to Arsenal’s squad, not to mention leadership, having served as Miners skipper since 2011.
But perhaps most appealingly of all, Howedes’ contract includes an incredibly cheap £12.5million release clause. After a campaign in which Schalke failed to qualify for the Champions League, it’s more than likely he’d be willing to leave the Veltins Arena this summer.
JACKSON MARTINEZ
No side has claimed the Premier League title in the last five seasons without their top scorer bagging twenty goals or more – so it’s imperative Arsenal find either an upgrade on or an accomplice to Olivier Giroud for next season.
And according to the tabloids, their preferred choice is FC Porto front-man Jackson Martinez, with some sources claiming they’ve already agreed personal terms with the Colombian international.
The 28 year-old is easily one of the biggest talents outside of Europe’s five leading top flights, boasting an incredible 92 goals in 132 appearances for the Dragons – leading to three consecutive Golden Boots in the Primeira Liga. That includes an impressive return of seven in eight from the Champions League this season.
Stocky, quick and monikered ‘cha cha cha’ for his dance-like grace in the final third, Martinez has often been mooted as a natural suitor to the physical rigors of Premier League football, and his more dynamic, penetrative approach offers a nice contrast to Giroud’s target-man style.
His Porto contract includes a £25million release clause and The Daily Mail claim Arsenal will sell three players in order to activate it – Yaya Sanogo, Joel Campbell and Lukasz Podolski.
MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN
Recent reports claim Arsenal have dropped out of the race to sign Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin but I still view him as the perfect candidate to add some much-needed physicality to the Gunners’ engine room.
The France international has emerged as one of the most formidable enforcers in the Premier League since the Saints’ top flight ascension in 2012, this season averaging the second-most tackles per match, 3.7, of any player in the division.
But arguably more important is Schneiderlin’s height – measuring in at 6 foot 2 – and his consistency on the ball, boasting an 89% pass completion rate this term, suggesting he’d be able to keep up with the north London outfit’s definitive brand of possession-based football.
According to The Daily Mail, Southampton are prepared to let the 25 year-old leave for £25million this summer, which seems like a fair price for a player of proven Premier League pedigree.
Raheem Sterling
Do Arsenal need another attacking midfielder in their squad? Probably not. Do Arsenal need to spend £50million on one? Definitely not.
That being said, snatching Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling this summer, in my opinion, would be the icing on the cake for Arsenal.
After all, the 20 year-old is undoubtedly the most promising home-grown talent around at the minute, epitomised by him becoming the first English player to win Europe’s prodigious Golden Boy award since Wayne Rooney all the way back in 2004.
And being a particularly versatile attacker – he’s featured in virtually every role from right wing-back to centre-forward during the last two years – Arsene Wenger shouldn’t struggle to find room for the England international in Arsenal’s starting Xi.
Admittedly, £50million is a rather ridiculous sum of money for a player with just 18 goals and 91 Premier League appearances under his belt. But if the Gunners can manoeuvre a swap deal that will see Theo Walcott go the other way, as alleged by The Daily Mail, it could prove to be an incredibly astute piece of business in the long run.