Arsenal close in on £13m deal & Wenger’s Euro transfer targets – Best of AFC
Should Arsenal fans be excited about the prospect of Oliver Giroud or very, very afraid? It looks all but certain that the Montpellier frontman will be swapping the southern France for North London in the summer after German side Borussia Monchengladbach ended their interests in his services. A mooted fee of £13 million (supposedly a buy-out-clause) must be viewed as a snip for a player of his goal scoring pedigree having struck 25 times in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side last season. In that respect Arsene Wenger will have a striker to take the weight of expectation off the shoulders of Robin Van Persie. Or is he being signed to replace Gunners skipper? The Holland international has yet to sign a new contract at the Emirates Stadium and left negotiations on a knife edge until after Euro 2012. With the Dutch now all but out of the tournament talks are thought to be set to imminently resume although it’s far from certain whether he’ll sign with several European clubs reportedly after his signature. Getting Van Persie to sign on that dotted line as quickly as possible is Wenger’s top priority as he looks to avoid another long-running summer saga. It remains to be seen whether the pursuit of Giroud is driven by a desire to pair him with RVP or fill the void left by his unthinkable departure.
This week on FFC which players will Wenger be keeping a close eye on at the European Championships and which Ivorian international are Arsenal set to renew their interest in?
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Best of FFC
Will Arsenal really be that lost without him?
Which signings will Wenger be eyeing up at Euro 2012?
The TEN ‘transfer targets’ Arsenal should pursue this summer
Bendtner’s actions continue to baffle
Could Arsenal do with a similar ambassador at the club?
Arsenal look to close in on £13m deal as release clause is met
Arsene Wenger set to renew interest in Ivorian
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Best of WEB
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One Of Us Speaks – Phone a Fool – A Cultured Left Foot
I don’t know who to believe anymore! – Gunnersphere
If only Arsenal’s defending was as good as its CEO’s – Online Gooner
What Wenger will do with this man if he signs for Arsenal – Gunnersphere
Column: Not quite golden brown – Arseblog
Forget Giroud, get Niklas Bendtner, Denmark play him in the middle. – Le Grove
Exciting Transfer confirmed by Gazidis & Van Persie on the brink…. – Highbury House
The £25M Bid & £180K pwk Contract To Make Arsenal Fans Weep? – Transfer Tavern
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Quote of the Week
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“The key for us is not the volume of signings we might make but that the signings we make add something to the squad. That is something Arsène [Wenger] thinks extremely carefully about and for all of the pressure he is placed under, he tends to make good decisions.” Ivan Gazidis says Arsenal will go for quality not quantity in the transfer market this summer
[divider]Arsenal must act over RVP – Ljungberg