Arsenal Transfer News: Major Players Eyed by Arsene Wenger, Top Gunners Rumours

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said he is ready to enter the January transfer market after the Gunners were linked with moves for Lars Bender and William Carvalho. 

Italian media outlet Calciomercato.com (h/t James Orr of the Independent) claims Bender is Wenger's primary target after midfielder Francis Coquelin is set for a long spell out with injury. 

The Bayer Leverkusen player is said to be "ahead" of Carvalho in Arsenal's thinking on transfer targets, as the Premier League team look short in the centre in the park as they try to maintain their title credentials. 

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Wenger told a press conference on Friday he is ready to move for players in January and hinted he could spend big as he searches for "top-quality" additions, as quoted by Jeremy Wilson of the Telegraph:

"

We are in a position where we want to do something. If I find the right quality I will do something. Who doesn’t love a bargain? What is for us a bargain is to buy top quality as only top quality strengthens our squad. Patrick Vieira cost £2.5 million and was a top bargain, first of all because he was a top quality player. We spent £40 million on Ozil and I still consider it a bargain because we got a top quality player.

"

The Gunners' midfield options have shrunk in recent weeks, with Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta spending further time on the treatment table, according to Orr.

Bender has long been considered one of the Bundesliga's finest defensive midfielders, and he would add value to the Arsenal starting XI.

The 26-year-old Germany international has featured nine times in the Bundesliga and Champions League this term, and he has the necessary experience to hit the ground running if he arrives in the January transfer window. 

However, as Leverkusen hope to maintain their berth in European competition in Matchday 6 of the Champions League, much will depend on their tournament status in any deal for Bender. 

The German side lie in third spot in Group E, but they could make the knockout rounds by leapfrogging Roma into second. 

Petr David Josek/Associated Press

Carvalho is also a viable target for Wenger, and Portuguese outlet A Bola (h/t Metro's George Bellshaw) reported the player's contact negotiations with Sporting Lisbon have "stalled."

The 23-year-old has been desired by a number of elite clubs, but the player has previously spoken about his affection for Wenger's side, as reported by A Bola (h/t the MailOnline's Richard Arrowsmith): "I prefer not to say too much, but there is a club which I've always been fond of: Arsenal. Because of Thierry Henry, a player with whom I have always enjoyed watching. Maybe this is why I look with so much affection to the Premier League."

Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

Bender or Carvalho would both bring the skill sets that Arsenal crave, as their injury crisis continues at the Emirates Stadium. 

Both players have destructive qualities that Wenger's squad doesn't possess, and Arsenal need players who will not disrupt their passing style, while also adding defensive knowledge and steel. 

Bender is the archetypal Arsenal player, and he would have an immediate understanding with his international team-mates already on the Gunners' books.

He has appeared ready for a move to a bigger club for many seasons, and the switch to a Premier League contender would surely tempt the Leverkusen captain.