Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Petr Cech and Top Gunners Rumours

Arsenal won't be signing Petr Cech during the January transfer window, according to Arsene Wenger. That means the Gunners boss will have to continue enduring Wojciech Szczesny's inconsistency and antics.

Further forward, Wenger is still looking to reshape his squad. After already dispatching Lukas Podolski, the Frenchman remains determined to loan striker Yaya Sanogo to a Premier League club.

However, first to Cech, the outstanding veteran stopper it seems Arsenal won't be pursuing this winter.

Wenger confirmed as much during his latest press conference, per the club's official website: "No, Petr Cech is at Chelsea. We have three goalkeepers who for me are top class and there is a big competition going on. I have no doubt we have the needed quality."

The three 'keepers Wenger referred to are Szczesny, summer signing David Ospina and young Argentinian Damian Martinez. Szczesny is the normal starter and a player of great potential. Yet there always seems to be issues with him.

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Those issues have certainly been obvious in recent weeks. First, the 24-year-old Poland international was guilty of a pair of clangers that helped gift a 2-0 Premier League win to Southampton.

Then Opsina was handed the start for the 2-0 FA Cup win over Hull City. It's certainly not unusual for Wenger to rest his regular 'keeper during the early stages of a cup competition.

In fact, Lukasz Fabianksi, Szczesny's previous deputy, played in every round to help the Gunners win last season's trophy. However, Szczesny's latest omission came amid reports he had angered Wenger by smoking in the shower after the Southampton defeat. Wenger soon reported Szczesny apologised.

To make matters worse, Szczesny's father went a little overboard defending his son. Maciej Szczesny labelled Arsenal's defence an "embarrassment," before comparing centre-back Per Mertesacker to a "rhinoceros," per Polish publication Przegladu Sportowego (h/t Eurosport).

Given his career-long penchant for lapses in concentration, the young Szczesny, while a talented shot-stopper, is becoming more trouble than he's worth.

However, Arsenal's former double-winning goalkeeper Bob Wilson doesn't agree, per London Evening Standard writer James Olley: "He did not have his best game but most ex-keepers would say the last thing you want to do with your No1 goalie is give him a rest. If I was goalkeeping coach there now and Arsene was asking me, I would say, ‘don’t drop him.’"

Despite Wilson's opinion, respected though it should be, it's hard not to rue Wenger calling off any potential pursuit of Cech. Yes, it was always highly unlikely Chelsea boss and Wenger agitator Jose Mourinho would sell to Arsenal.

But 32-year-old Cech is still as good as any 'keeper in the world, even though he's been usurped by Thibaut Courtois this season. He could've had a similar impact to the one an ageing Jens Lehmann made when Wenger signed him in 2003.

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

Cech still has a lot to offer at the one position where players generally get better the more experience they gain. Arsenal need a steady and savvy presence between the sticks. The club must surely be running out of patience waiting for Szczesny to get his act together.

However, Wenger is prepared to wait before agreeing a loan deal for Sanogo that suits Arsenal. That means finding a Premier League club willing to give the raw but promising 21-year-old a chance.

At the moment, Crystal Palace and Hull City head the queue, per Metro reporter Vaishali Bhardwaj. It's Hull who seem the keenest.

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Midfield playmaker Tom Huddlestone has endorsed the move and talked up Sanogo's qualities, per ESPN FC: "I was speaking to a couple of the lads yesterday when we heard the rumour and they were saying he's a handful. He's an intelligent footballer for one so young. The times I've seen him at Arsenal, I think he's done very well."

There's no denying Sanogo has potential, despite netting just one goal in his so far injury-hit Gunners career. He's tall, powerful and quick, while he also seems unfazed by any opposition.

The question is, can Arsenal really afford to let him go? Wenger has already let Podolski go out on loan. There is even talk forward Joel Campbell will be next, with La Liga side Real Sociedad interested, per Daily Mail reporter Simon Jones.

Emrah Gurel/Associated Press

Sure, Arsenal still have plenty of options. Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez see to that. But of the four, only Giroud is a natural centre-forward and Sanogo is his only obvious deputy.

By loaning out Sanogo, the Gunners could leave themselves short of some vital versatility up front. Of course, the flip side is that Sanogo needs to play if he's ever going to realise his potential.

The player had been inching toward a return to France and a loan stay with Bordeaux. However, animosity between Wenger and the Ligue 1 side's president, Jean-Louis Triaud, stopped the move, according to L'Equipe journalist Guillaume Dufy, (h/t Inside Futbol).

Wenger's commitment to giving the striker the chance to prove himself in England's top flight indicates he still sees Sanogo as part of his future plans.

Speaking of a future, Szczesny can still have a great one with the Gunners, provided he works at finally finding some consistency. If he does, Arsenal won't come to regret Wenger's decision to pass on Cech.