Why Arsenal fans should get excited about this £19.7m bid:

Despite not having yet made any real dent in the transfer window (at the time of writing), you do get the feeling that things are going on behind the scenes at Arsenal.

After suffering through yet another transitional season last year, fans are now desperate for success. It’s been tough to watch the Gunners grind through the gears and not really get any better. For the last half-decade or, Arsenal have been a top four side, but not much more.

Still, we’ve heard about how the Gunners are now flush with cash. We’ve seen the club cut ties with the likes of Andrei Arshavin, Sebastien Squillaci and Denilson (good riddance!). We’ve also seen them sign some fantastic new commercial deals, that should free up more spending money this summer.

Let’s just hope that Arsene Wenger spends it in the right places.

Arsenal have been strongly linked to the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Marouane Fellaini. These are two fine players who would significantly improve the squad. But I was also interested to see that the Gunners have been linked to Bayer Leverkusen’s dynamic midfielder, Lars Bender in recent times.

According to The Mirror, Arsenal have already put in a £19.7m bid for Bender, which has been turned down. This sum exceeds Arsenal’s current transfer record (£15m approx) and acts as a symbol of the club’s intent. It looks like they mean business in this summer’s transfer window.

Still, the bid has been turned down. I would argue the sum offered probably reflects market value for the German international, but Bayer clearly value him very highly.

He’s also tied down on a long-term contract (until 2017), so the club is not in a position where they have to sell. It’s also worth bearing in mind that Bayer have already lost Dani Carvajal and Andre Schurrle this summer. They’ll be keen to keep hold of their other assets.

On the other hand, it’s easy to see why Arsenal are interested in the midfielder. At 24-years-old, he’s already got a wealth of experience, is confident on the ball, can pass it about and put in a tackle. I view him as a more fully developed Aaron Ramsey, though I still think he has room for improvement.

Suffice to say, he’s an exciting player and it’ll be interesting to see what becomes of him. I wouldn’t be sad to see the Gunners up their bid and attempt to bring him to the Emirates.

What’s your take? Should Arsenal snap up this costly young German talent?

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