Arsenal Transfer News: Romelu Lukaku Chase Shows Gunners Back on Track

Arsenal have had a tough summer. 

Coming into this offseason's transfer window, the Gunners were pegged as most likely contender to wheel and deal, after last season's late flop prompted Arsene Wenger to look to bolster the roster and send out underachieving players. 

Instead, the Gunners have landed a grand total of two players, in defender Carl Jenkinson and striker Gervinho, and have yet to send underachievers such as Nicklas Bendtner out of the club.

Naturally, given the fan base's hunger to end a six-year hardware drought, the Arsenal faithful are getting restless. They were expecting action, and after nearly two months of watching the club sit on their hands, they've started to get nervous. 

But there are signs that perhaps things are finally starting to turn around. The Gunners recently submitted a failed bid to land central defender Phil Jagielka, and have been closely and repeatedly linked to the race to grab winger Juan Mata from Valencia, or midfielder Santi Carloza of Villareal. 

The most convincing signs of the tide changing come from their pursuit of Anderlecht starlet Romelu Lukaku. The 18-year-old forward phenom is seen as one of the most promising young front-liners in the sport, and the Gunners threw their hats into the ring along with several other big clubs to try to get him.

According to a Mirror Football report, that bid might just pay off. 

The report indicates that Lukaku might be inclined to give the Gunners' bid a long, hard look, given the likelihood that he'd see much more playing time at Arsenal than he would at Chelsea.

He's giving all of the bids (rumoured to be in the £17.5 million range) equal attention, and many think the Gunners stand a fantastic chance of poaching the talented youngster from the Blues. 

If you're a Gunner fan, this is fantastic news, and not just because of Lukaku's talent (although that is something to be excited about). 

By chasing Lukaku (who would be the most expensive signing in Wenger's long history at Emirates), the Gunners are showing their fans that they're willing to splash the cash to get talent this summer.

They're showing fans that they know where their areas of need are, and are working to bolster the club's fortunes. 

That's a complete about-face from Arsenal's perceived position in years past. Gunners fans have been set up for disappointment in the transfer market before, where action was promised and never came from Wenger. 

This season, it's clear things are different. Arsenal have been linked to a number of potential transfer targets, they've already landed one big money target, in the £10 million striker Gervinho, and are making strong bids to land talent to fill their needs. 

Lukaku fills a major need for the Gunners, as well. As a big, talented striker, he gives this team the size and strength on the front line they've lacked in seasons past, as well as giving them a long-term replacement for Robin van Persie. 

Don't be surprised to see bids for guys like Gary Cahill, Chris Samba and Jose Enrique coming out in the near future, as well. It's clear that after nearly two months of sitting on his hands, Arsene Wenger is ready to get to work on building his roster, which has to make fans feel awfully good. 

Does this mean deals are actually going to get done? Hardly; Arsenal and Wenger have to actually land players before they can claim success, and they're not necessarily the front-runners for some of their targets services at this stage of the game. They won't necessarily get all the players they're linked to, and could miss on more players than they get. 

But jumping into the race for Lukaku is a major step in the right direction for Wenger and the Gunners. It shows that they're ready to wheel and deal this summer, and proves that they've got the cash to do it. 

Most importantly for fans, it tells them that this summer might not be the disaster area they feared it would become, after all.

With so many targets still on the market, Wenger's going to have a great chance of still having a strong summer, and things could still turn out just fine for the Gunners going forward.