Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Urged to Spend Amid Zlatan Ibrahimovic Rumours

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has urged Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger to spend during the summer transfer window or risk falling behind Spurs, while Paris Saint-Germain star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has told reporters he already knows where he’ll be playing his football next season.

The Gunners passed rivals Tottenham in the Premier League standings on the final day of the season, but Redknapp believes Arsenal were “lucky” to do so and will have to improve greatly over the summer to stay ahead of Spurs.

Writing for the Daily Telegraph, he stated his beliefs that Spurs’ squad has better long-term potential and that the Gunners will have to sign at least two players to keep up:

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Arsene Wenger deserves enormous credit for finishing above Tottenham Hotspur in the league, but I know which squad I would rather have.

Being brutally honest, Arsenal are very lucky to have finished the season second and Arsene needs to buy some players over the summer to get anywhere near Spurs. ...

Arsenal need to buy, there is a lot of work to do. They desperately need a new centre-half and another striker to take them forward. Too many times this season they’ve been suspect in certain areas, whereas I can’t see any real weaknesses in the Spurs team.

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No less than five Tottenham players made England’s provisional squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2016 tournament, compared to just one Arsenal star—Jack Wilshere, who spent the bulk of the season out with an injury and isn’t expected to start for the team.

While the Gunners field more international stars than Spurs, Tottenham’s amount of young talent is impressive, and if not for a late-season collapse that came with a handful of suspensions, Spurs would have finished the campaign ahead of their rivals.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Arsenal fans want their club to spend after a season that saw few star players arrive at the Emirates Stadium, and a player like Ibrahimovic would be a welcome sight.

The Daily Star’s Jack Wilson previously reported Wenger was prepared to sign the free-agent-to-be this summer, and the veteran has now told BeIN Sports (h/t Daily Mirror’s Liam Corless) that he has already made a decision on his future: "I know where I will be going next season, but I will not be saying where tonight."

Ibrahimovic has been frequently linked with a move to Manchester United or the MLS, but with his contract set to expire, any club willing to offer him the substantial wages he’ll likely request has to be regarded as a possible destination.

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

Not everyone believes the Gunners should add the 34-year-old, including former Gunner and current Daily Mail pundit Martin Keown:

But the Gunners haven’t won a Premier League title in years, and winning domestic titles is what Ibrahimovic does best. He has already done so with Ajax, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barcelona and PSG, and his winning mentality is something the club could use dearly.

The same holds true for his scoring prowess. Here’s a look at some of his highlights:

Signing veteran players to big contracts is always risky, but after years of relatively conservative spending, the Gunners can afford to take some risks if it improves the club’s chances of winning silverware.

Ibrahimovic is still a world-class finisher with elite production—five goals and three assists in this year’s UEFA Champions League, per WhoScored.com—who would add a whole new dynamic to Arsenal’s attack. And with no transfer fees involved, this is a move Wenger has to consider, if he still has the option of signing Ibrahimovic.

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