Arsenal’s rumour mill (as is the case with all clubs, I suppose) seems to go in cycles. For about a week, the media and fans will wax lyrical about Jan Vertonghen joining the club. The next week it’ll be Yann M’Vila. The latest player to join this trend is Malaga’s Santi Cazorla.
According to the Guardian, Arsenal have already agreed terms with the Spanish winger and are waiting on Malaga to accept a €20m offer for his services. He’s a player that was on Arsene Wenger’s transfer radar last summer, but slipped through his grasp. Now, thanks to Malaga’s financial woes, Wenger seems to be taking another stab.
It sounds like everything is pretty far along. If these claims are true, Malaga is the last stumbling block and it looks like they’re in a pretty poor position when it comes to negotiations. There have been talks of Arsenal needing to meet Cazorla’s £45m buy-out clause, but there’s no way the Gunners will even consider this. If Malaga are in a position where they need to sell players to survive, they’re hardly going to play hardball with a notoriously stingy club like Arsenal.
€20m is already perilously close to the club’s transfer record and we all know that Arsene Wenger doesn’t spend that kind of money lightly. If he’s genuinely considering it, it’s because he believes he’s worth the money and that he could add something a little special to the squad.
One thing’s for sure: he’ll come complete with the kind of versatility that Wenger just loves. He can play on either wing or as an attacking midfielder. Given that Alex Song was the Gunner’s most creative midfielder last season, I’d say that Arsenal could use some help in this department. He’s got tricky feet, confidence and the ability to pick out a killer pass. I’d liken him to a Mikel Arteta with more end product. If a move for Cazorla forces the likes of Abou Diaby and Aaron Ramsey out of the team, then so be it.
But the likelihood is that he’ll fill in where necessary. Should Theo Walcott move on this summer he may be deployed down the wings. Should Jack Wilshere be out for longer than expect, he’ll be deployed in the centre-of-the-park.
Given this utility and the quality of the player in question, I’d say that he’d make an excellent addition to this Arsenal squad.
What’s your take? Would you like to see Cazorla in Arsenal red next season?
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