Arsenal Transfer News: Edinson Cavani Boost, Latest Gunners Rumours

Arsenal may have toiled in their efforts to sign a new centre-forward this summer, but the club look to have been handed a boost in the pursuit of a target, with reports surfacing suggesting Paris Saint-Germain will listen to offers for Edinson Cavani midseason.

That’s according to “reports in Spain” cited by Bruce Archer of the Daily Express. The piece noted that the Uruguayan was shunted back out wide to accommodate the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the weekend. PSG reportedly value the 28-year-old forward at around £45 million.

Here’s a reminder of why Cavani is rated as one of the very best centre-forwards in the world game:

Arsenal could certainly do with him. After Danny Welbeck was ruled out until Christmas, per the club’s official website, Olivier Giroud is the only natural No. 9 in the Gunners squad, further amplifying what many supporters felt was a desperate need to draft in a striker while the transfer window was open.

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Indeed, former Arsenal player Paul Merson hit out at manager Arsene Wenger for not showing any kind of ambition in his attempts to sign a top-class centre-forward, per Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror:

"

It cheats the fans. The fans think ‘what are we coming for? We turn up every week, we pay the highest prices and what for? Top four? We might get a day out at Wembley again in the FA Cup.’ Wow-wee.

Just put in a bid for Benzema. £75m. If Real Madrid turn around and say ‘we’re not selling him’, you can’t argue with that. You’ve put in a bid and if they turn it down or the lad doesn’t want to come, that’s the way it goes. But show something.

"

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While Karim Benzema was cited as a target for the Gunners throughout the summer months, per Lewis’ piece, the forward made it clear on his Twitter feed that he would not be leaving Real Madrid. As the transfer deadline edged closer, the most likely No. 9 coming in did look to be Cavani, although Arsenal were unwilling to pay the £50 million valuation, according to Rob Draper of the MailOnline.

As noted by Bundesliga pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft, Wenger’s decision not to splash out looks a little silly now following the injury to Welbeck:

The Gunners have world-class options in various areas of their team and while Wenger’s stance on getting value-for-money on players should be lauded, if he wants to upgrade what is already an excellent but flawed side, he’s going to have to spend a large sum. Cavani would certainly fit the bill too.

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As we can see here courtesy of OptaJean, the presence of Ibrahimovic does seem to marginalise the Uruguayan’s impact on matches in the French capital:

It’d be no surprise if Cavani did want out of Paris, especially if a team like Arsenal were to come along. Playing through the middle with the creativity of Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey behind him would be a dream for the PSG man and his robust brand of forward play would see him flourish in English football’s top flight.

But with the French giants likely to be challenging for major honours on both the domestic and European front, it’s unlikely they’ll be willing to part company with such an important player. The Gunners seem to have missed the boat on this one, for another year at least.