Why it’s time for Arsenal to launch their own raid on Barcelona:

It’s a little funny seeing Arsenal linked to a Barcelona talent, because things are so often the other way round.

Whilst players like Alex Hleb, Thierry Henry, Alex Song and Cesc Fabregas have found themselves leaving the Gunners to move to the Nou Camp, very few have gone in the other direction, with at least one major exception.

Why am I even mentioning this? Mostly because Arsenal have found themselves linked to Barcelona’s ace full-back Dani Alves. Now, could there really be any truth to these claims?

They come courtesy of The Metro, who note that Alves has found himself somewhat sidelined at Barcelona over the last couple of months. The Brazilian flyer was sidelined for a few weeks after pulling his hamstring against Levante back in November and his compatriot Adriano eventually snapped up his place in the team.

Alves is currently finding it difficult to displace the ambidextrous, versatile Adriano and may well decide that the easiest thing to do (and the best thing for his career), would be to move on. But it’s still hard to believe that a player we associate so strongly with Barca (226 appearances – and he’s shown kissing/eating the badge in the picture above) would consider a move to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, the future of Arsenal’s very own right-back, Bacary Sagna is very much up in the air. The Frenchman has been rather outspoken regarding his discontent with the way his club has been casting their best talent aside on a regular basis.

I’d say he has a point. Arsenal have earned their reputation as a selling club for a reason. If this now somewhat evident truth forces Bacary out the door, that’d be a real shame, but a player like Alves would be able to replace him.

Although I’m a big admirer of Sagna, I think Alves would fit into Arsenal’s style of play better. He’s the quintessential attacking full-back and Arsene Wenger has always been a fan of introducing as many bodies into the attack as possible. He loves to bomb forward, whip in crosses, cut inside and create havoc amongst opponent defenses. There’s no denying that he’s a real talent.

At 29-years-old, he still has a couple of years left in him at the very top of his game. With his position at Barca uncertain, now is the right time for Arsene Wenger to pursue him. Let’s just hope that he’s successful.

What’s your take? Would Dani Alves be a fitting replacement for Bacary Sagna?

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