This was supposed to be a relatively quiet summer for Arsenal, after notable tumultuous transfer sessions that had Arsene Wenger scrambling to upgrade his roster with notable departures to teams like Manchester City. This summer, there has been little talk of players who might leave, and more about what players might be on their way to the Emirates.
Joel Campbell has been one of the rare exceptions of a player who might make a move out of north London. The Costa Rican forward is reportedly at least a £5-million target of Real Sociedad, Benfica or Fenerbahce according to Daily Mail. The 22-year-old showed promise in his limited appearances with the Gunners, as well as in international competition, but there appears to be a diminishing role for him to receive playing time in a crowded attack. A £5-million return on an investment that cost less than £1 million would be a solid windfall for the Gunners, but Wenger no doubt had higher hopes for Campbell.
Arsenal are expected to make more of an effort to add more established talent, with striker Jackson Martinez perhaps finally making a move to the Emirates, reports the Telegraph. The Colombian star had been linked to Arsenal for the past three years, but he remained at Porto despite positive comments from Wenger over the years. With AC Milan reportedly balking at deal to land the 28-year-old, Martinez’s attention turned back to Arsenal.
“It’s a big club in one of the best leagues in the world. We have to see if an offer will become a reality or not.
“The day we’ll know where my future goes is near. I still haven’t decided, as I’m focused on the Copa America right now.”
A stumbling block might be Martinez’s £25 million release clause. It might too steep of a price for a player who turns 29 in October, and has battled thigh injuries. But Martinez might be a strong option for Arsenal, having scored 67 goals in 90 appearances for Porto.
A less likely scenario is Wenger pursues Leicester City left wingback Jeff Schlupp, which was reported by the Express. The Ghanian is valued at £5 million, and has also drawn interest from Aston Villa and Manchester United. It seems difficult to envision Arsenal adding to their already strong left side of Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs, who are both in their prime and coming off effective seasons.
Meanwhile, reports of Petr Cech leaving Chelsea for Arsenal continue to surface. Arsenal have a curious situation at goalkeeper with Wojciech Szczesny replaced by David Ospina for a large portion of the 2014-2015 season, but it’s unclear if a deal will be worked out. According to Sky Sports, Cech has agreed to a move to Arsenal, but the two London rivals are still working on the terms of a cash-only deal that is expected to be roughly £10 million. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho prefers that Cech goes to Paris Saint-Germain rather than the club that could challenge the champions in the Premier League season.
John Terry told Talk Sport that Cech was an invaluable asset to the Blues.
“If they do get him, he will strengthen them for sure,” said Terry. “He will save them 12 or 15 points a season. Petr was an unbelievable professional last year. When you get left out of the team it can be hard to accept but when he came in he was exceptional.
“He deserves a lot of credit for that. We understand he wants to play first-team football but nobody wants to see him leave the club. He’s going to be sorely missed and will improve any side he goes to.”
