Arsenal FC: 3 Players the Gunners Should Not Sign and the One They Should

Arsenal has been linked with many players over the last few months as the team have not been in the best of form at the start of the season.

Arsenal, though, seem to have found their stride and are in good form, with a strong defense, a creative midfield and a vibrant attack. Arsenal’s team is balanced between established experienced players and young promising ones.

So do they need to spend $50 million this January? Or do they need to put our trust in the players who we have and make one tactical purchase?

Arsenal have been linked with almost every player, seeking a transfer and many who are happy where they are. I have listed three players who have been heavily linked with Arsenal that I do not believe the team needs, and one player who, if the circumstances were right, would be a great January signing.

Do Not Purchase: Yann M’Vila, Defensive Midfield

Yann M’Vila is a great player with loads of potential. Aggressive, strong in a challenge, a French international and a young player with room to grow, M'Vila would seem a perfect choice for most teams.

But where will M’Vila fit in with the current Arsenal squad? Will he be content to sit behind Alex Song as his backup? Will Song be content to share time with M’Vila? And what will his purchase do to the development of our talented young defensive midfielders Emmanuel Frimpong and Francis Coquelin?

M'Vila's purchase makes no sense at the moment. Arsenal has a strong starting defensive midfielder and has two able backups pushing each other to make the step up as Song’s backup. His purchase would signal to both Frimpong and Coquelin that their time is up at Arsenal and that they need to find a move away as there will be no way to give all four defensive midfield players time on the pitch under our current system.

I am sorry, as much as I like M’Vila as a player, at this time he does not belong at Arsenal.

Do Not Buy: Gary Cahill, Central Defense

Gary Cahill is a solid, dependable, hard-working defender who could be acquired for a fairly low price, since his contract expires at the end of this season. He has long been connected with a move to Arsenal, as the center of the defense has been a major issue in the past.

Recently, though, with Thomas Vermaelen returning from injury, Per Mertesacker’s signing from Werder Bremen and the great form of Laurent Koscielny, the purchase of Gary Cahill seems unnecessary.

Would Cahill be content to sit as the third- or fourth-choice defender in this Arsenal side, and would they want him to be wasted on the bench? With the triumvirate of Vermaelen, Mertesacker and Koscielny in the center of defense, Arsenal already has a strong group competing for the two starting spots.

Also, Arsenal has two talented young central defenders fighting to get their chance with the first team squad. With Kyle Bartley on loan with Rangers and Ignasi Miquel leading the Reserves this season, both are quality defenders who will hope to be breaking their way into the first team in the near future.

So why purchase Cahill when Arsenal already has three solid central defenders as well as two promising young central defenders?

Do Not Buy: Eden Hazard, Winger

Eden Hazard is one of the most talented young wingers in the world at this time. He would be a great signing for any squad who could get him, including Arsenal.

But do we truly need a player on the wings that we would have to pay $30-40 million for?

With Theo Walcott and Gervinho both in good form and performing well for Arsenal, Hazard would relegate one of those players to the bench. And as they are both players who improve the more matches they play, they would both revert and their progresses would stall.

Andrei Arshavin also plays on the wings but is a player I would not mind seeing let go by Arsenal in the next transfer window. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ryo Miyaichi are two young Arsenal prospects of whom great things are expected. Both are young, fast, technical players who over the next few seasons will be expected to make great contributions to Arsenal and become first team starters.

I am not opposed to buying another winger, as I hope that Arshavin will be sold soon. Other talented, less-expensive players than Hazard can be brought into the Arsenal squad, such as the talented young Swiss wingers Valentin Stocker and Xherdan Shaqiri, both with FC Basel. They would be great less-expensive options for Arsenal than Hazard, who will be the subject of a bidding war when he actually leaves.

Buy: Lukas Podolski, Striker

The purchase of any striker can only come if Maroune Chamakh is sold. Having four strikers on a team that plays with only one up top is unworkable, as only the main backup will receive any actual playing time behind Robin van Persie.

If Maroune Chamakh is sold as he needs to be, because he is out of form, can’t score goals and looks out of place in an attacking Arsenal side, then Lukas Podolski would be a perfect backup striker to Robin van Persie.

A player with almost 100 appearances and nearly 50 goals for the German National Team, Podolski is a class striker who can play anywhere across the front line. For FC Koln a small German side in danger of relegation every season Podolski has been a constant performer his very presence keeping them from the drop.

With Podolski backing up van Persie we could all sleep a little better knowing that if the worst happens and van Persie succumbs to another injury we would have a backup with enough talent to handle the job.