Don't Stop Movin' - Arsenal's Transfer Plans, Boiled Down to Bare Necessities.

I will now indulge in speculation, because it's fun. Strikers of a certain calibre are hard to come by at the moment, which makes me suspect Arsene may choose to target wide forwards instead. Alexis Sanchez is potentially available, and can even play centrally if required. He offers pace, creativity, and a low centre of gravity, something that thrives in the Premier League, as Aguero and Tevez evidence.

Barcelona may see sense and decide to keep him, meaning Antoine Griezmann could be an option-he's more of a winger in truth, but Wenger is a fan, and Carlos Vela's buyback clause could be used as leverage. If a striker isn't available, Giroud and the developing Sanogo may be used, with new, quicker supporting acts to assist them. If even a decent wide forward can't be purchased, I'd be interested in picking up Shaquiri from Bayern before Liverpool do. Similarly built to Sanchez, he offers creativity and pacey dribbling with less of a goal threat. He's also quite inconsistent, but being 21 can do that to a fella. 

Right-back wise, Serge Aurier is creepily similar to Sagna and seems the most likely choice. Whether he joins as he so desires remains to be seen, however. Otherwise: Calum Chambers? Maybe? Or the Japanese fella at Schalke. 

And finally, the midfield. Somebody capable of backing up Ramsey as well as replacing Arteta might be a good idea, though a player defensively good enough to allow Wilshere to play the Number 8 role would be fan-dabby-dosie. Morgan Schneiderlin does seem a good option, but little talk has materialised despite his seeming availablity in a Southampton firesale. Daley Blind of Ajax seems exciting, with his ability to play as the sole holder and great engine, but is untested outside the Netherlands. One player I wonder Arsnal might go back in for is Luis Gustavo. A verbal agreement with Bayern was curtailed as he opted to stay in Germany for the World Cup, but he has a 25 million Euro buyout clause at Wolfsburg, and is tall, strong, dynamic and capable of holding a midfield almost by himself. One to watch, perhaps. 

The End (Beautiful Friends)

It may seem self-explanatory, but I think physical attributes are important factors to consider when Arsenal buy players this year. Speed of movement and strength will make them more dangerous while attacking and more solid defensively. Of course, footballing ability of a high level is required, otherwise we could just spunk £30m on Diame and Wilfried Bony and laugh our way to fourth place. Which may happen anyway. But it'd be more of a 13/14 fourth than 12/13.

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