Arsenal round-up: £200million summer spending spree; Sergio Aguero swap deal; Bilbao coach appraoched

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal are preparing to spend £200 million during the summer as they attempt to fix their struggling squad and Arsene Wenger will be the man to lead the rebuilding job. This is according to the Mirror, who maintain that the Frenchman remains close to signing a new two-year deal at the club, despite the Gunners’ loss to Crystal Palace. To fund the summer spending, the club are prepared to sell players, with Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Olivier Giroud and David Ospina all possible departures.

This story could have been planted by the club to improve the mood within the fan-base. The board at the Emirates Stadium will understand the negativity surrounding the club will continue building until they do something to excite them. If they know that Wenger is going to stay, it is imperative that they spend a lot more money than they have in previous seasons. The club are stagnating and they need to make wholesale changes. Although the most logical change would be to replace the manager, new players are also needed. If this story is true, it is crucial that they get their recruitment right. Wenger will have no room for error if he does stay.

Elsewhere, an interesting story within the local press in Manchester is that an Alexis Sanchez and Sergio Aguero swap deal is possible. The Manchester Evening News have produced an opinion piece, stating that a possible deal would make sense for both clubs. Manchester City are interested in bringing the Chilean to the Etihad Stadium to reunite him with Pep Guardiola and that would increase the chance of Aguero departing. There have been rumours about how the Argentine isn’t in favour with the coaching staff and Arsenal would certainly be interested in taking him if he were available.

Although this article features a lot of speculation, a swap deal would benefit all parties. City would be getting a forward better suited to Guardiola’s style of play that centres on pressing from the front. Arsenal would be signing one of the best strikers in Premier League history and it would provide an opportunity for him to prove Guardiola wrong. If Arsenal were to sell Sanchez to a rival club, they would risk upsetting their supporters further. Therefore, if they were able to sell him to City and arrange a deal for Aguero in return, it would be beneficial for them.

Despite the reports stating that Wenger is set to agree on a new two-year contract, Ernesto Valverde is being rumoured as a possible managerial target for this summer. According to Marca, he has been contacted by an intermediary acting on behalf of the Gunners. His contract with Athletic Bilbao expires in the summer and he is well thought of in Spain. The 53-year-old is also on the radar of Barcelona, who will be looking for a new manager in the summer. The report goes on to say that he would be interested in the post even if the club misses out on the Champions League.

This is an interesting story as Valverde is the type of manager that the club should be targeting to replace Arsene Wenger. He has been around the block as a manager and has experience at some big clubs. Valverde is a strong character capable of rebuilding the Arsenal squad and he looks to play a good style of attacking football. At Bilbao, he has done a great job, despite being restricted in recruitment and it would be a good appointment by the Gunners. If Wenger does leave this summer, Valverde should be one of the names at the top of the list to replace him.

Featured image: All rights reserved by cs2kaisarjudi