Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Mathieu Flamini, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Rumours
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may be about to thin his squad's considerable midfield ranks by selling Mathieu Flamini. But the Gunners boss is set to face rejection in his pursuit of Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Flamini could leave the north London club for Turkish outfit Galatasaray in the "next 48 hours." That's according to website Medya Haber (h/t Metro's Jamie Sanderson):
"They say the deal will be closed in the next 48 hours, with the 31-year-old set to link up with Lukas Podolski.
Flamini has a year left on his Arsenal contract but slipped behind Francis Coquelin in the pecking order last season.
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Waving goodbye to Flamini is an interesting move. On the one hand, the Gunners are far from short of midfield options.
Wenger's team is well stocked in advanced areas where playmakers such as Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and Aaron Ramsey roam. Options are also aplenty in deeper positions.
Not only has Francis Coquelin's emergence finally given Arsenal a credible holding player, veteran skipper Mikel Arteta is still around. Not only that, but Santi Cazorla's move from forward-thinking attacker to withdrawn schemer hasn't just revolutionised his game; it's also given the Gunners another option in front of the back four.
In this context, it makes sense to let Flamini walk. He lacks the positional discipline of Coquelin, the savvy leadership Arteta offers and the classy distribution Cazorla is known for.
But one thing Flamini can do is tackle. At his best, he's the proverbial midfield terrier, even if he's often like an excitable dog chasing cars, at least in terms of his positioning.
Aside from Coquelin, Arsenal's squad doesn't boast another consistently strong ball-winner in the middle. So it might be prudent to keep Flamini around one more year, at least as cover.
Of course, that assumes the 31-year-old Frenchman would actually want to stick around as a supporting player. But it might be worth Wenger trying to convince him.
After all, he only brought Flamini back to the club on a free transfer two years ago. Letting him go for nothing next summer would hardly sting.
Borussia Dortmund Won't Sell Aubameyang
What might sting the Gunners is not recruiting another marquee forward ahead of the new season. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang certainly fits the bill thanks to his combination of lightning pace and coolly efficient touch in front of goal.
That combination led to 20 goals in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund last season, according to WhoScored.com. With playmakers like Ozil and Cazorla threading astute passes between the lines, Aubameyang could become an instant star for Arsenal.
The problem is that Dortmund don't want to sell. The Bundesliga club's sporting director, Michael Zorc, recently made that clear to German publication Kicker (h/t Sky Sports): "We rely heavily on Aubameyang—that is no secret. I've heard a lot about this (a transfer to Arsenal) but I can say very clearly that it is blocked for him. He is simply not for sale."
That's a blow for Wenger, who is certainly a big fan of the onetime St. Etienne ace. German-based journalist Jan Aage Fjortoft recently made that clear:
Fjortoft also believes another potential striker target remains a more realistic get for Wenger and the Gunners:
What's interesting here is that while Fjortoft believes Arsenal will ultimately focus attention elsewhere, the Sky Sports report states Wenger has already made concrete moves for Aubameyang: "Arsenal reportedly failed with a bid of £28.7 million for the former St Etienne player and reports in the German press suggest the Gunners will come back in with a renewed bid of over £30 million."
Aubameyang certainly suits the type of game the Gunners need to play in the new season. His quickness and movement is ideal for a team at its best playing with fluidity and combination passing.
Putting Aubameyang in a forward line already featuring Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott would give Arsenal scary pace. That quality defined Wenger's best teams back in the days of Nicolas Anelka, Marc Overmars and Thierry Henry.
Then the Gunners would be more of a consistent threat than when static target man Olivier Giroud acts as the focal point of the attack.
Wenger should continue trying to push Dortmund into doing something they don't want to do. As for Flamini, the numbers won't suffer without him, but Arsenal's ability to win the physical battles almost certainly will.
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