10 Moves Arsenal Should Make in Final Weeks of the Summer Transfer Window
Although Arsenal have already conducted one major piece of business this summer by signing Petr Cech, there is still plenty for them to do in what remains of the transfer window.
There is still over a month until the window slams shut on September 1, and although Arsene Wenger appears to be generally happy with his roster, a touch of tinkering is still required to ensure his squad is in the healthiest possible position ahead of 2015/16.
That doesn't purely mean recruiting new talent. Sometimes, it's just as important to let someone go, either temporarily or permanently, to ensure fringe players don't become unhappy and disturb the group's harmony.
Go to the next slide to discover the first of 10 steps Arsenal should take to put the finishing touches to their squad ahead of the coming season.
Launch an Ambitious Bid for Karim Benzema
1 of 10
If there is one area of the first XI still requiring attention after the addition of Petr Cech, it’s the centre-forward spot. For all Olivier Giroud’s talents, the suspicion remains that he is not quite of the elite calibre required to fire Arsenal to the title.
According to Rob Draper of the MailOnline, Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema is the man Arsene Wenger has identified as most likely to provide a solution to the striking situation.
However, his attempts to bring in the player thus far have been rebuffed by Real, as noted by Draper: "Karim Benzema remains the striker Arsene Wenger would most like to sign for Arsenal but the club has no expectation of being able to bring him to the Emirates this summer as Real Madrid will not offer any encouragement for a bid."
Arsenal may need to be patient. Last time they signed a star from the Bernabeu—playmaker Mesut Ozil in 2013—they had to wait until deadline day for the deal to go through. A similar approach may be required this time around.
Loan out Serge Gnabry
2 of 10
Young German midfielder Serge Gnabry missed almost the entirety of last season as he recuperated from inflammation around his knee. He returned to play at youth level at the back end of the 2014/15 campaign before travelling with the Germany U21 squad to the European Championship earlier this summer.
Now, he needs regular first-team football to recapture his swagger. Prior to his injury, Gnabry was on the verge of breaking into the first team. However, the subsequent arrivals of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck have made a starting place on the flank more difficult to come by.
Gnabry needs regular football to find his rhythm and may have to temporarily leave the Emirates Stadium to get that.
Sell Mathieu Flamini
3 of 10
Mathieu Flamini has never left a club before the expiration of his contract, but this may be the summer to change that. With Mikel Arteta fit again and Francis Coquelin established in the first team, it’s difficult to see how the experienced midfielder fits into the squad.
Young players such as Calum Chambers, Isaac Hayden and Krystian Bielik are also capable of filling in at holding midfield, while there’s still the possibility Arsene Wenger will add a new signing at that position.
With Julian Bennetts of the Evening Standard reporting that Flamini is the subject of a bid from Galatasaray, Wenger may seize this opportunity to receive a fee for a player he originally lost on a Bosman transfer to AC Milan in 2008.
Loan out Chuba Akpom
4 of 10
Chuba Akpom caught the eye with a hat-trick against a Singapore Select XI in pre-season. However, it’s important to consider the level of the opposition when analysing that achievement. In loan spells with Coventry City, Brentford and Nottingham Forest, Akpom did not record a competitive goal.
That has to change in 2015/16. With Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck and even Alexis Sanchez ahead of him in the queue for a centre-forward spot, it’s difficult to envisage him getting many opportunities at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsene Wenger should identify a club in the lower reaches of the Premier League (or possibly upper echelons of the Championship) where Akpom would be afforded the game time he requires to begin to fulfil his massive potential.
Bid for Sergi Samper
5 of 10
Sergi Samper looks to be an archetypal Arsene Wenger signing: young, Catalan and technically gifted. It’s a formula that’s worked in the past with the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Hector Bellerin, and according to Pete Jenson of the MailOnline, Wenger is keen to repeat the pattern with Samper.
Samper is a deep-lying playmaker in the Xavi mould and could be a successor to Mikel Arteta. He doesn’t yet have the tenacity of Francis Coquelin but would fit seamlessly into Arsenal’s purist passing game.
With a mooted buyout clause of £8.5 million, Samper would be a bargain addition to the squad.
Send Emiliano Martinez on Loan Again
6 of 10
Last season, Emiliano Martinez was a revelation during a loan spell with Rotherham United. A couple of run-outs in the Arsenal first team appeared to have instilled the young Argentinian with new levels of confidence, and he was arguably the Championship team’s top performer in the second half of the 2014/15 season.
It must be frustrating for Martinez, then, to return to Arsenal to find another goalkeeper in the queue ahead of him. The arrival of Petr Cech makes him fourth choice and renders first-team football for this season hugely improbable.
Nevertheless, Arsenal should keep hold of Martinez, who seems to be making steady improvements year on year. Another loan spell would continue his progress and allow the Gunners to keep tabs on the development of an exciting prospect.
Extend Theo Walcott's Contract
7 of 10
Theo Walcott’s contract is now less than 12 months from expiring. That’s a problem for Arsenal: With each passing day, his transfer value decreases. Arsene Wenger is approaching the point at which he must make a decision between selling Walcott now or run the risk of losing him for nothing next summer.
Arsenal should probably push the boat out to get Walcott’s deal sealed. His form at the back end of last season was impressive, and it ultimately makes more sense to continue with a settled talent than recruit an unknown quantity.
It’s a fairly safe investment too. Should Walcott’s form decline, there will still be takers for him: The extortionate fee Manchester City paid for Raheem Sterling demonstrates that elite clubs are desperate to invest in English players in order to meet quotas.
Sell Joel Campbell
8 of 10
Last season was supposed to be the year Joel Campbell finally made the breakthrough at Arsenal. After earning a work permit and making some eye-catching appearances at the 2014 World Cup, he was recalled to London after a succession of loan spells.
However, things did not pan out as planned, and Campbell ended the season on loan at Spanish side Villarreal, having been used as a makeweight in the deal to sign Gabriel Paulista.
This summer, Arsenal and Campbell should call time on their relationship. At 23, he needs to be making the step to a club where he is valued as a regular first-team player. Another loan spell would simply be a waste of time.
Promote Dan Crowley to the Senior Squad
9 of 10
One of the most exciting elements of Arsenal’s participation in the Asia Trophy was the sight of Daniel Crowley taking up a place in the senior squad.
Since moving from Aston Villa in his mid-teens, Crowley’s ascension to the first team has been hotly anticipated. Like Jack Wilshere before him, he is preternaturally technically gifted and seems to have an instinctive feel for the game. Crowley is that rarest of things: an English No. 10, complete with creativity, elegance and an eye for goal.
It’s too soon for him to feature regularly with the seniors, but he should begin training with them and making cameos in the cup competitions. A talent like this cannot be held back for much longer.
Extend Nacho Monreal's Contract
10 of 10
According to Marca (h/t talkSPORT), Nacho Monreal is the subject of interest from Athletic Bilbao.
Arsenal should not countenance losing the Spanish full-back, who last season proved his superiority over Kieran Gibbs. After a spell at centre-half in the autumn, he seemed much more acclimatised to the physical element of English football when he reverted to his preferred position.
Monreal was one of the surprise stars of Arsenal’s 2014/15 campaign. They should do all they can to keep him at the club for next season and beyond.
.png?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")
