Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Must Capitalize on David Villa's EPL Preference

Arsenal finished just outside the all-important top three during the 2012-13 Premier League season, so the Gunners are searching for a boost. With news surfacing that Barcelona midfielder David Villa is interested in a move to the EPL, Arsenal must strike immediately.

According to John Cross of Mirror Football , Villa has told his advisers that he definitely wants to play in the EPL next season. He can reportedly be had for an affordable £12 million, so a few clubs, including Arsenal, figure to be in the running.

Villa's biggest concern, according to Cross, is that he hasn't been utilized enough by Barca recently. Villa started only 16 games this past season, and while he was extremely productive with nine goals, the Barcelona attack ran through the likes of Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas and Andres Iniesta.

With the 2014 World Cup in Brazil approaching, Villa reportedly wants more consistent playing time. He seemingly believes that he will get precisely that in the EPL. Arsenal has a number of impressive offensive players, but if they pay £12 million to bring in Villa, they most definitely intend to play him regularly.

According to BBC Sport, Arsenal is one of three EPL teams set to bid for Villa's services along with Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

While Spurs and Liverpool would probably benefit more from bringing in Villa, Arsenal has more to offer. The Gunners have plenty of playmakers who should be able to find Villa is scoring positions. Also, Arsenal is the only club among the three that will play in the UEFA Champions League next year.

It can't be said with certainty that playing in the Champions League is a top priority for Villa, but there is no doubt that those in charge of constructing the Spanish World Cup team will be watching the Champions League very closely. Most seem to agree that Villa still has a lot to offer at the international level, but he simply needs to prove it.

When you take all of those factors into account, Arsenal is seemingly in the driver's seat. However, the Gunners can't afford to be complacent. Villa hasn't publicly endorsed Arsenal and the only thing that is known at this point is that he wants to play in the EPL. With that in mind, it's possible that he will pounce on the first offer sent his way.

Goal scoring wasn't an issue for Arsenal this past season as they were third in the league behind Manchester United and Chelsea with 72 goals. There is no such thing as having too many goal scorers, though, so Villa is pretty much guaranteed to contribute and make Arsenal better in 2013-14 if he comes aboard.

Prior to an injury that caused him to miss much of the 2011-12 season, Villa was easily one of the best offensive players in the world. He scored at least 34 goals per season across all levels of play in three consecutive seasons before the injury, so it's definitely possible that he could regain that form at Emirates Stadium.

The ball appears to be in Arsenal's court right now and it needs to make a move in order to ensure that it secures one of this offseason's best transfers.

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