Opinion is divided on whether Arsenal can mount a serious title challenge with Olivier Giroud as their first-choice centre-forward, with some cynics suggesting the Frenchman is a bit of a flat-track bully who doesn’t have the wherewithal to deliver against the very best defences. According to the Mirror, Arsène Wenger has decided Jackson Martínez could be the man to provide the goals that fire the Gunners up the table and he’ll pay £25m for Porto’s Colombian striker, who bookies have made an odds on favourite to make the move to the Emirates despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur, Valencia, Milan and Atlético Madrid. In order to balance the books, Wenger will usher Lukas Podolski, Yaya Sanogo and Joel Campbell towards the door marked “Do One”.
The Arsenal manager will also wake this morning to the sound of mutinous mutterings from unhappy midfielder Tomas Rosicky, who feels that he’s been marginalised since Arsenal took up the option of extending his contract into next season. “Since the moment Arsène Wenger used the option in my contract, I haven’t even been on the bench,” said the 34-year-old Czech midfielder. “I am laughing but it’s not funny. It’s frustrating but I am a professional. Even if you lose your place, you must still be prepared because the situation can change. I’ll start the summer preparation with Arsenal and that’s the whole of my plan for the time being.”
The Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuaín could be Stamford Bridge-bound, with reports suggesting that José Mourinho is prepared to stump up £30m to organise a reunion with the Argentinian striker he managed for three seasons at Real Madrid. Higuaín has long been admired at Juventus and Arsenal, but would almost certainly move to Chelsea should the opportunity arise to team up with his former boss.
Chelsea are also prepared to sell Patrick Bamford, who enjoyed a successful loan spell at Middlesbrough last season. £10m is the asking price and both Sunderland and Newcastle are reported to be interested in securing the England U-21 international’s scrawl. Sunderland are also hoping to tempt Celtic to part with centre-back Virgil van Djik and have attached striker Steven Fletcher to a big hook which they’re dangling over Celtic Park as bait. With Aston Villa and Southampton also interested in the Dutchman, Sunderland are hoping the offer of cash plus a goal-shy striker who runs around a lot will appeal to the Scottish champions.
Juventus like the cut of Robin van Persie’s jib and hope to prise the 31-year-old away from Old Trafford with a bid of £10m, while elsewhere in Italy, Internazionale might take Nani off the Manchester United payroll should they fail to persuade Chelsea to part with their misfiring January signing Juan Cuadrado. With Radamel Falcao having already taken his leave of Old Trafford and RVP set to follow him out the door, Mexican striker Javier Hernández will hope to revisit his Old Trafford glory days after failing to land a permanent deal with Real Madrid during his spell on loan at the Bernabéu.
Meanwhile on the goalkeeping merry-go-round, Petr Cech has all but reiterated his desire to join Arsenal by telling reporters that leaving London would be a major inconvenience for his family, while David de Gea looks a certainty to ink a contract with Real Madrid, even though its rumoured his advisors have told him another couple of seasons in the Premier League could be the making of him. In other goalkeeping news, West Brom are mulling over the possibility of bringing Crystal Palace’s Welsh stopper Wayne Hennessey to the Hawthorns, while the Liverpool Echo reports that Roberto Martínez has decided he is perfectly happy with Tim Howard and Joel Robles, and won’t be drafting in reinforcements to play between the sticks.
Elsewhere on Merseyside, René Meulensteen and Pako Ayestarán are both being touted as potential replacements for the Liverpool assistant manager’s job after Brendan Rodgers’s No2 Colin Pascoe was thrown under the bus. Ayestarán looks the favourite to work alongside Rodgers, having previously worked at the club under Rafael Benítez, while former Manchester United coach Meulensteen has form in the field of criticising Rodgers for not investing in his staff in a state of affairs that is unlikely to make for a harmonious working relationship.
And finally, Randy Lerner is on the verge of selling Aston Villa to a “mystery bidder” for £150m in a deal that could be signed and sealed before the start of the new season. Whether or not the Dutch defender Ron Vlaar comes as part of the furniture remains to be seen, as the centre-back is dithering over a new contract because he believes he can further his career elsewhere. “I want to maximise my career and I think I can go a step higher,” said Vlaar, stepping into a cherry-picker and fiddling with the levers. “I will look at it and go quietly.”
