David Villa (FC Barcelona)
FC Barcelona forward David Villa was regularly linked with a move to Arsenal in the January transfer window, with the Spain international looking set to depart the club this summer.
Like former Gunner Cesc Fabregas, Villa has found his place in the starting line-up at Camp Nou called into question, and Barca’s signing of Neymar from Santos means that he will likely lose his place on the left hand side of Los Cules’ attack.
Villa’s pedigree is in little doubt. He is the Spanish national team’s highest ever goalscorer, and has lifted the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship trophies with his country. He has also won almost everything there is to win at the top level in club football, scoring a fantastic goal in the UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United in 2011 at Wembley Stadium.
However, the clear argument against Villa is his age, and the Spaniard will turn 32 midway through the coming season. The economist in Arsene Wenger may well think twice about spending a large sum of money on a player clearly beyond his peak, even if the player in question is a goalscorer of Villa’s quality.
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