5 Players Who Won't Be Transferred to Arsenal in 2011
Every year, Arsenal are linked with players whose transfer fees and wages are entirely outrageous, and these rumours can be almost immediately discounted.
But there are also several players whose proposed switch to the Gunners may seem far more plausible but will never happen for several other reasons.
This will look at these players in concern and identify the reasons why they won't be moving to the Emirates this summer and whether this will be good or bad for the club.
Eden Hazard
1 of 5
The dashing Belgian left winger, who currently plies his trade in Ligue 1 in France for Lille, has been consistently linked to Arsenal in each transfer period for the last two years.
This transfer will almost certainly not happen this summer for three very valid reasons.
The first is, his high transfer fee. Unless there is a drastic change at the club (Nasri or Fabregas leaving), it is near impossible to see Wenger forking out close to £20 million for a player unproven in the Premier League.
On top of this obstacle, Arsenal have already been strongly linked to another one of their stars in Gervinho, and this transfer seems to be a done deal. It therefore seems thoroughly unlikely that Lille would allow two of their brightest talents to leave in the season in which they enter Champions League football and to the same club.
This transfer won't be happening, at least not this year.
Per Mertesacker
2 of 5
The man is young, tall, intimidating and clean in tackles.
And he won't be looking for a house in London this year.
Mertesacker has simply been moved out of Arsenal's grasp by the fans and the media. The demand for English born and bred—for experienced Premier League players—has meant that Wenger has nearly locked up Gary Cahill and Christopher Samba in a deal which in total will cost upward of £25 million.
And so a proven defender, national team player and World Cup star is lost. Instead, Arsenal will most likely buy a defender with three caps for England rather than one of the great defenders in world football (and valued at £15-20 million).
Jermaine Defoe
3 of 5
As much as I would love this transfer to happen, it won't, as it seems entirely unrealistic.
The first obvious stepping stone is the fact that Tottenham and Arsenal are arch rivals. As seen when Sol Campbell left Spurs, the attitude to these "traitors" is paramount to bloodlust.
The other major reason is somewhat similar to a butterfly fluttering its wings and causing a tornado in America.
Unless Tottenham sell Luka Modric this summer, there is very little chance that Defoe will leave, as he will not be able to command a transfer fee which would allow Tottenham to replace him with either Adebayor or Drogba. Modric, on the other hand, if sold for above £27 million, would be easily replaced with money left over, meaning that Tottenham could sell Defoe and purchase an adequate replacement.
Transfers are a fickle business, and this one has far too many cogs to work.
Samuel Eto'o
4 of 5
This transfer could go ahead when Eto'o's desire to play in England is considered, but will not happen for one rather important reason.
Samuel Eto'o's wages are close to the most exorbitant in world football today. At around £200,000 a week, this amount would be colossal in Arsenal's wage scheme, and indeed, in most Premier League teams, including Manchester United.
If Eto'o can offset his desire to own more houses, more cars and more ladies for his true footballing ambition, then this transfer could go ahead.
But judging by the ego in world football at the moment...it won't.
Scott Dann
5 of 5
The journeyman of English football, Scott Dann, could be rising from League 1 to fame in a top-four club potentially, hampered entirely by the fact that Birmingham have succeeded in pricing him out of Arsenal's range.
If there is one attribute which Arsenal fans have come to value in Arsene Wenger it is his astuteness come transfer time, and apart from Francis Jeffers and Sebastien Squillaci, he very rarely makes mistakes.
He has avoided one this time.
Dann at best is an above-average defender—close to Gary Cahill, but age and leadership play against him. And price. Dann is also an avid Liverpool fan and this makes Liverpool the favourites by far.
