Giroud signed, now for M'Vila?

Arsene Wenger yesterday practically confirmed the deal to bring Olivier Giroud to the Emirates Stadium. Speaking to French television, for whom he is acting as a football pundit during Euro 2012, Wenger described his compatriot as possessing "exceptional potential and will integrate very well in our collective and our way of playing……. He is a real team player and knows how to combine with other players and I'm sure he will do well with us." With Arsenal’s forward line significantly strengthened, attention has now turned to Rennes midfielder Yann M’Vila, who has recently declared his interest in a summer switch to the Gunners, in a deal worth a reported £17million.

In addition, Bayern Munich’s interest in the defensive midfielder has apparently cooled, seemingly paving the way for Arsenal to press forward with their bid. Rumours concerning the move first surfaced during last summer’s transfer window and it was reported at the time that Wenger’s bid had been rejected by Rennes. Then earlier in the year, World Cup winner Marcel Desailly implored Wenger to sign M’Vila, describing him as the next big thing in world football and a player who could potentially bridge the gap between the Gunners and the Manchester clubs, enabling the North London side to challenge for the title once again. In Desailly’s opinion, M’Vila is exactly the type of signing which would convince the likes of Robin Van Persie that Arsenal remain one of Europe’s top sides.

Arsenal bound? M'Vila

 

Yet the brilliance of Alex Song this season and emergence of both Francis Coquelin and Emmanuel Frimpong would raise the question as to whether Arsenal should really be contemplating spending such a large sum on another

Wenger's squad dilema

Spurs bound: Vertonghen

Following the signing of Lukas Podolski from Cologne and the seemingly imminent arrival of another striker, Olivier Giroud from Montpelier, many football pundits believe that Arsene Wenger should now focus on strengthening the defensive aspect of his squad.  While this is admittedly an area in which the Gunners have struggled in recent seasons, Wenger will find it difficult to persuade a top quality centre half to move to the Emirates this summer; mainly due to the widely held belief that Vermaelen and Koscielny are Arsenal’s first choice defensive pairing. With Per Mertesacker ready to fill in should either become unavailable, it will be a tough task for Wenger to convince any potential new defensive signing that they will enjoy ample first team opportunities. A clear example of this has already been seen during this summer’s pursuit of Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen. The Belgian has stated several times that his preferred destination would be White Hart Lane, even though this will result in him swapping Champions League football with the Dutch champions for Europa League football with North London’s second best team. In this instance Tottenham have a clear advantage over the Gunners as with Ledley King likely to retire, Michael Dawson suffering from injury and William Gallas enduring a torrid end to the season,  places in their central defence are not set in stone and so they can effectively guarantee Vertonghen a starting place. Therefore if Wenger does sell Squillaci and Djourou over the summer, he will have to either promote a centre half from within the squad, such as Kyle Bartley, or sign a less experienced, unheralded defender.

Olivier Giroud set to become a Gooner?

According to reports in the English media today, Arsenal are on the verge of sealing their second summer signing, with Olivier Giroud expected to sign for the club in the coming days. His manager at Montpelier, René Girard, also confirmed yesterday in an interview with a French radio station that Arsenal are very interested in the player and if a fee can be agreed with the club’s president, Giroud will be heading to red half of North London.

With the fee expected to be slightly lower than the rumoured £12.8 million release clause in the player’s contract, it is believed that Marouane Chamakh will also be going the other way as part of the deal, enabling Arsenal to remove the disappointing Moroccan striker from their wage bill. Should he sign for the Gunners, Giroud would provide an interesting new dimension to the Arsenal attack, with his size (standing at 6ft 3”), physical presence and renowned heading ability. Having worked his way up to the top tier of French football, following spells in the French lower leagues, Giroud not only knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level but also possesses great passion, hunger and desire to win. Although he amassed 21 goals in Ligue 1 last season, helping Montpelier to win the league title, it is believed that Wenger does not see Giroud as a direct replacement for Robin Van Persie. Although with his physical attributes the Frenchman could clearly play upfront on his own,