Can Arsenal really sign Sami Khedira and another Striker?

31 July 2014 15:37

It seems Arsene Wenger has dusted off the war chest, dug out his wallet, combined the two, and actually looked at the calender over the last few weeks. Signings have rained down upon the Emirates, all before the end of July, and they've all been decent too. While Alexis Sanchez is the one stirring the expectations of fans, Mathieu Debuchy is the international replacement for Sagna and thus makes a huge chunk of sense, David Ospina had a good world cup, Calum Chambers looks an excellent piece of business, albeit maybe over-priced. But wait! Arsene Wenger paying over the top for a player? It's unheard of.. and yet.. this might be the clue all Arsenal fans have long been searching for.

It's like this. Arsenal have money. Lots of it in fact. Their business structure is excellent, their wage structure until now has secured copious amounts go into the coffers, and their performance on the field has allowed good players who want Champions League football to come, sometimes to move on, sometimes to stay, while maintaining the status quo at Arsenal over the last few years. So the reality is, Arsenal can not only afford to pay £100+k a week to players, they're now doing so, and as such, players such as Khedira are most definitely not beyond the parameters of a club who have once again tasted success after their FA Cup victory.

The newspapers and websites are insistent that Khedira wants to leave Real Madrid, but it's the personal terms which are causing the delays/issues, as a fee has already been agreed, but given the outlay already by Arsene on new players and contracts, not to mention the Giroud extension currently being negotiated, for the sake of a few thousand pounds a week it seems unlikely that, if Wenger truly wants him at Arsenal, this will remain an obstacle, unless of course the wage demands are so far in advance of the other star players that it might cause issues between team mates. Let's not forget, another striker is expected, preferably someone with pedigree, who will then require wages of a standard to fit his status. Mario Balotelli has been much mooted by those who do such things, but realistically, could anyone see him settling for wages of less than that of a defensive midfielder?

It's complicated, negotiations are protracted, but... the money is there, the capacity is there. Now it becomes about ambition. Do Arsenal really want to challenge on all fronts? They are a team that, had they reversed the result at Anfield, would have finished second in the league. They've strengthened, cleared out some deadwood, regained the fitness of key players, and are now poised on the brink of something special again. Sign Khedira, Bender, or even Schneiderlin and the message will be clear. This season, the shackles are off, and Arsenal are a team to be feared once again.

Source: DSG