Arsenal Transfer News: Spurs' Clinton Njie Rejected Gunners, Mario Gotze Rumours

Tottenham Hotspur signing Clinton Njie has rubbed salt in Arsenal's wounds after confessing he rejected the Gunners for a move to White Hart Lane, but Arsene Wenger's chances of luring Mario Gotze look to have improved.

Njie was being linked with Arsenal prior to his recently confirmed move to Spurs, but he told French newspaper L'Equipe he was never interested in a transfer to the Emirates, per ESPN FC's Kevin Palmer:

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I was never scared that my transfer to Tottenham would not be confirmed. I never spoke to Arsenal representatives on the phone -- they simply contacted my agent. My choice was made. I was determined to join Tottenham.

Here, I will be working under Mauricio Pochettino, a manager who plays youngsters and allows them to progress. On Thursday, after I arrived in London and had my medical tests, he welcomed me and told me he hoped I would be available as quickly as possible.

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Some Arsenal fans may be dismayed at having lost out on another potential attacking recruit, as an apparent lack of back-up to first-choice forward Olivier Giroud remains a concern for the club.

Wenger's side were limp in their opening-day 2-0 defeat to West Ham United and showed slight improvement in a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, but Opta's Orbinho points out finishing as a running issue:

Cameroon international Njie scored eight goals in 33 appearances across all competitions for Lyon last season and made the move to England's capital as one of Ligue 1's rising prospects.

However, Andy Scott of Agence France-Presse determines the 22-year-old's big-money move as being an extraordinary example of the well-financed elite of England overpaying for their talent:

Njie will have no easy time displacing Harry Kane from the main striker role at White Hart Lane, but his emerging star status means there isn't as great a pressure to reward him with first-team minutes.

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has full intentions of utilising Njie up front, however, as quoted by Goal's Jay Jaffa:

Only a fortnight remains for Arsenal to make their big move in attack—if one is to be made at all—as Wenger is sure to face scrutiny should Giroud remain the club's outright first choice come September 2.

Furthermore, Njie's steadfast rejection of the Gunners in favour of their north London rivals will serve as a sour blow of its own, with Tottenham not just rivalling, but trumping their biggest foes in the race for summer talent.

Gotze Open to Arsenal Switch

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One of the running transfer sagas surrounding the Emirates this summer has taken another turn after it came to light that a move to Arsenal would be of interest to Bayern Munich's Gotze.

That's according to the Daily Telegraph, reporting the midfielder's "difficult" relationship with manager Pep Guardiola has left him open to the idea of an exit, per Goal (via Metro's Tom Olver).

Olver goes so far as to write that Arsenal are preparing a £49.6 million offer for the 2015 World Cup winner, who has remained something of a fringe option at the Allianz Arena and is regularly played out of position.

Former Bayern manager Ottmar Hitzfeld has given his opinion on the matter, telling Sky that his old club haven't shown faith in Gotze, per Goal's Stefan Coerts:

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If you have complete faith in Gotze, you do not go out and buy Douglas Costa. Players like Kroos and Schweinsteiger have left Bayern. [Xabi] Alonso and [Arturo] Vidal have been brought in in return. Both are good players, but Bayern have been moving away from the German market and that is problematic.

There appears to be a bit of a trend where Bayern sign too many foreign players and the German mentality gets forgotten a bit.

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There is a debate about whether Gotze would claim his desired role at the Emirates, however, considering Wenger is by no means short on options in attacking midfield.

Then again, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez joined the club in the previous two summer transfer windows when competition already seemed rife. Bleacher Report's Stefan Bienkowski believes Gotze to be of a similar quality to Wolfsburg's in-form Kevin De Bruyne:

The signings of Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal have added competition both in central midfield and out wide at Bayern, seemingly leaving Gotze in further confusion as to where he sits in the pecking order.

His passing-oriented style of play would fit Wenger's tactics to the ground on paper, but Guardiola may prove a difficult negotiator when it comes to parting ways with his German asset.