Have Arsenal already wrapped up the SECOND signing of their summer?

Whilst beating Manchester City to effectively hand Manchester United the League is all well and good I’m sure that Arsenal have higher aspirations. The aim over the course of next season will be to amass some silverware and if that’s to happen the Gunners are likely to require a couple of reinforcements. Yes they’ve been good over the last couple of months (defeat to a faltering QPR aside) but it’s clear that there are still some major weaknesses within this squad.

It’s also becoming clear that Arsene Wenger has learned from the mistakes of the past. Last summer has to be one of the lowest points of his career. He lost one of the best players he’s ever had at the club in Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona and then the silky and skilful Samir Nasri slinked off to rivals Manchester City.

The trouble was that these signings went through extremely late in the transfer window and Wenger didn’t have any replacements lined up. Instead he and the club were forced into a transfer trolley-dash approach and although they picked up a few gems (Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker and the Ox) it’s fair to say that things could have been handled better.

So it’s important that Arsene gets any potential signings completed at the earliest possible convenience. This will give them a full pre-season to adapt to this Arsenal side and will probably prove financially prudent as well (since good performances in Euro 2012 may drive up price-tags).

We’ve already heard a lot about FC Koln’s Lukas Podolski who appears to be a done-deal. Podolski has provided his struggling home-town club with plenty of goals this season, despite being embroiled in a relegation battle and the hope is that he brings his goal-scoring form with him when he joins the Gunners.

But it’s looks as though Wenger’s also aiming to shore up his defence this summer. Jan Vertonghen has been linked regularly to the Gunner’s over the last couple of months and has admitted that he’d love to join up with Belgium International team mate Thomas Vermaelen at the Emirates. What’s more his Ajax boss Frank de Boer seems resigned to losing him at the end of the season: Speaking to The Football Fever Podcast  he said:

“Yes we’ve already discussed it. When there’s a club that he’s already interested in – and it’s really got to be a good club – then he will leave. It’s 100 per cent sure. I think he’s ready to make a next step. For us, it’s a setback, of course, to miss that kind of quality player.”

Arsenal is thought to be his favoured destination and with the Gunners thought to have been interested for a while now, it’s possible that he’ll be plying his trade at the Emirates next season.

With over 200 appearances for Ajax, strength, power, passion and versatility, he’d make for a great Arsenal signing. Let’s just hope that the Gunners continue this forward thinking outlook.

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