Arsenal Transfer Rumours: Gunners Are Perfect Fit for Chelsea's Salomon Kalou

Arsenal is hoping to make a second-half charge in order to guarantee a spot in next season's Champions League, and a couple of transfer additions could make that possible. One name that's been mentioned is Salomon Kalou of Chelsea, based on a report from John Cross of Mirror Football.

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Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou is a cut-price January target for Arsenal. Ivory Coast star Kalou is out of contract at the end of the season and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is a long time admirer.

Arsenal could wait until the summer and get him for free but also face competition from Liverpool and may be ready to do a deal on the cheap.

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Kalou is currently on international duty with Cote d'Ivoire, which would delay his arrival at Emirates until the African Cup of Nations is over. It shouldn't be a major roadblock to completing a deal, however, since he'd only miss a handful of games.

Since Kalou has fallen out of favor at Stamford Bridge, with just four games played this campaign, and is a free agent at season's end, Chelsea's asking price should be significantly reduced. Basically anything they can get for him at this point would be a bonus.

Robin van Persie has carried the Arsenal attack on his shoulders with a league-leading 17 goals so far, but more secondary threats will be needed if the Gunners want to keep pace with the leaders. No single player, even one in elite form like van Persie, can do it alone.

Thierry Henry was brought in from the New York Red Bulls to provide a little bit of relief. Even though he was able to score in his debut against Leeds United in an FA Cup clash, he's not going to make the same type of impact that Kalou would.

Henry is only a situational player at this point in his career, not somebody who's going to be a game-changer on a weekly basis during his loan. Kalou should be able to step right into the starting lineup for Wenger upon his return and give Arsenal some more punch up front.

There has been a lot of speculation about the Gunners adding some pieces to the back line, but the defense has actually improved quite a bit since its early struggles. Providing some support for van Persie should be the first item on the to-do list.

It's unclear whether Arsenal would be interested in signing Kalou to a long-term deal, but even if he's just a rental until the campaign ends, it would probably be worth a shot. Wenger will look like a genius if he ends up being the piece that pushes the Gunners up a spot or two.

All told, Kalou should come cheap, and that's something that has become increasingly rare in recent windows. So, if Wenger can get him for a reasonable price, he should take the chance.