Six Players Arsenal Should Have Signed This Summer

The summer 2009 transfer season is officially over and Arsenal only brought in one quality player this summer. Whether or not that proves to be a good decision is yet to be seen. Arsenal started out the season well winning four games in a row. However, a loss to Manchester United still has Gunner fans crying for more players.

1.) Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

Age: 26
Club Team: AC Milan (Real Madrid @ start of summer)
Country of Birth: Netherlands
Goal to Game Ratio (Career): 179 goals/265 games (67.5 %)

Yes, I'm still bitter about Wenger letting Huntelaar slip through his fingers and go to AC Milan.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar would have been wonderful at Arsenal. He is a proven goal scorer and compatriot of Robin Van Persie.

Nicknamed "The Hunter" for his goal-scoring prowess, Huntelaar would be the goal machine Arsenal has been lacking since the departure of Thierry Henry.
It’s a shame Wenger let him go to Milan.

2.) Felipe Melo

Age: 26
Club Team: Juventus (Fiorentina @ start of summer)
Country of Birth: Brazil

If Wenger had signed Melo , he would have brought strength, size, experience, and creativity to the the Gunners.The 25-year-old is over six feet tall, very strong on and off the ball, and would have provided a physical presence in the midfield.

With Fabregas injured, Melo would have been a huge help against Manchester United last week. We lost the game because of a breakdown in the defense, something Felipe would have been an asset to.

3.) Stephen Appiah

Age: 28
Club Team: Free Agent
Country of Birth: Ghana

I cannot claim that this idea is my own. I read another article on Bleacher Report that made a good case for Arsenal to sign the Ghanaian captain.

Here is the article:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/225017-the-solution-for-arsenals-ubalanced-squad?search_query=appiah

Appiah would be the defensive player of Arsenal's midfield, and he could be the replacement for Vieira that Arsenal has been searching for since he left. In addition, Arsenal lack leadership on the field when Fabregas doesn’t play. Appiah would be a good leader on the field, and in the locker room.

4.) Marko Arnautovic

Age: 20
Club Team: Inter Milan (FC Twente @ start of summer)
Country of Birth: Austria
Goal to Game Ratio at Current Club: 12 goals/44 games (27 percent)

Arnautovic's height and exquisite touch have led to many people around the globe calling him the new Ibrahimovic. He has great aerial ability and his strong presence and technical prowess on the ground has seen the young Austrian gain success at Twente.

Arnautovic would have fit in well at Arsenal, he’s a young striker who is actually ready to see time week to week for his team.

5.) Steve Mandanda

Age: 24
Club Team: Marseille
Country of Birth: Congo

Even though Aluminia is not an awful goalie, he shouldn’t be who Arsenal puts in the net for their title run this season. He’s prone to mistakes (Manchester United) and just plain average.

While Fabianski and Mannone are not awful either, they’re both young and have not experienced a lot of first team experience. Mandana, on the other hand, is young and has played in Marseille’s starting XI for a few years now.

6.) Rafael Van Der Vaart

Age: 26
Club Team: Real Madrid
Country of Birth: Netherlands

A move of Van Der Vaart to Arseneal was a late transfer season rumor. However, it’s a move that makes sense. Depth in the midfield has really hurt Arsenal in the past few seasons. Van Der Vaart is a very good player and it’s a shame that Madrid doesn’t want him. However, this would make him cheap, something Wenger always looks for. In addition, Van Der Vaart would probably see first team action within his first few weeks due to injuries to Fabreagas, Rosicky, and Nasri.