Why it’s time for Arsenal to activate this man’s £4m release-clause:

Whilst Arsenal have recently established a killer new commercial deal, I don’t expect things will change to wildly on the transfer front.

I don’t realistically expect Arsene Wenger to be competing for Neymars, Benzemas and Higuains, of this world – as much as they’d improve this Arsenal side.

Arsene has never shown any willingness to splash out before and I’m sure he’ll look to play it safe this January. There’s a lot of pressure on his shoulders at the moment and should he spend big on a player, only to have him flop, he’ll be in real trouble.

Which is why I’m paying more credence to the following rumour than I currently would: according to Goal.com, Arsenal are in the market for West Ham star Mohamed Diame.

And why does this rumour seem so feasible? Because there’s a clause written into the midfielder’s contract that would force the Hammers to release him should somebody come in with a bid ‘close to £4m’. That sounds to me like the kind of bargain that would have Wenger chomping at the bit.

Sam Allardyce made that much clear when he told reporters: “There is ­always a situation where you are powerless to keep a ­player. Because of the size of the fee, you can’t turn it down and the chairman says: ‘We can’t say no, we’ve got to move him on’ but I won’t be ­disclosing a player’s contract”.

The man he is talking about is Diame. Whilst he will only have been with the Hammers for six months whilst January rolls round, he’s shown enough to suggest a move to a bigger club may be on the cards.

Indeed, anybody who saw his sparkling performance against Chelsea, where he scored his second West Ham goal and led his team to a 3-1 victory, will tell you that this boy can play.

He’s a smart player, with a great reading of the game and the pace and power to dictate play in the midfield. He’s a real physical presence which is something that some pundits have claimed that Arsenal are lacking at the moment.

It certainly looks like he’s destined for bigger things. Now, given that he’s available for around £4m, perhaps the time is right for Arsene Wenger to snap him up.

He’d certainly be a better option than perennial absentees, Tomas Rosicky and Abou Diaby (who is a similar kind of player to Diame).

Whilst some fans tend to be snobbish of players from clubs that tend to finish lower down the League table, I’m sure Arsenal fans could make an exception in this case.

What’s your take? Would Mohamed Diame be a smart addition for this Arsenal side?

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