Big summer of recruitment planned at Emirates Stadium, with Arsenal ready to move for Borussia Dortmund star Mario Goetze, Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic and Toulouse anchor man Etienne Capoue.
Arsenal plan to radically change their wage structure in order to entice Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetic and Borussia Dortmund playmaker Mario Goetze to Emirates Stadium, and will also look to sign Toulouse defensive midfielder Etienne Capoue, reports the Daily Telegraph.
The Gunners have been regularly criticised for rewarding their mediocre players with brilliant contracts and handing their brilliant players mediocre salaries, but that looks set to change this summer.
Arsenal’s recruitment too has left much to be desired in recent years, but at least Andrei Arshavin and Sebastien Squillaci are both out of contract at the end of the season.
The Russian earns £80,000 per week as a basic rate excluding any bonuses, and given that he rarely even makes the bench, Arsenal are essentially throwing over 4 million in the bin annually.
That doesn’t even mention fellow players surplus to requirements Nicklas Bendtner, Marouane Chamakh, Johan Djourou, Park Chu Young and Andre Santos, who the Gunners would desperately love to lose from their wage bill but may struggle to find buyers for – so far has their stock dropped.
Still, if the Telegraph report is true, it is mightily encouraging for Arsenal fans that Arsene Wenger appears to recognise the key weaknesses in his team.
Stevan Jovetic
The main difference between this season’s Arsenal and that of the previous campaign is the lack of a world class striker. Robin Van Persie gave the Gunners the edge over so many sides last season, and his goals for Manchester United have won them an astonishing 22 points this season.
The Red Devils’ lead over Manchester City in the Premier League title race is of course 12 points, and Arsenal fans will doubtless look towards Old Trafford with envy.
Fiorentina forward Stevan Jovetic has evolved into one of the most feared strikers in Italy. His 11 goals account in 21 Serie A appearances for 24% of his team’s goals this season, and he has also supplied his team-mates with four assists.
Likened to a young Van Persie, the Telegraph suggest that the 23 year-old Jovetic would cost Arsenal around £20 million.
Though Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott have contributed solid goal tallies, neither seems the top tier striker to bring Arsenal to the next level. Jovetic could well be.
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