Things have lately turned pretty bad for Arsenal FC. After two dismal performances saw the Gunners fall down to 4th position in the league table and contract talks with their star players, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, stalling at the moment, Manchester City are reportedly eyeing a £25million January bid for their star midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The England forward saw himself limping off the field against City last weekend and looked quite frustrated as he was just breaking into the first team after a series of impressive performances. Largely starting from the bench, Oxlade-Chamberlain has been a regular player in the domestic league as well as in the Champions league, but Wenger has mostly favoured Alex Iwobi over him lately.
Although the stated bid isn’t anyway near to convince Arsenal to sell their star player to a local rival, City sure have the financial prowess to convince Wenger into selling him. And going by Arsenal’s recent reputation of letting their star players go, his departure won’t be surprising.
T4O looks at three players Arsenal could go for if City find success in the pursuit of Chamberlain.
Marco Reus
Reus could be the perfect answer to the immense frustration growing among Arsenal fans recently. The Gunners have been linked with on many previous occasions but a deal has failed to materialise. The 27-year-old attacking midfielder has his contract at Dortmund till 2019 and this could be the perfect time to pounce on him.
There is absolutely no doubt about his quality and his playing style might limit the transition period at Arsenal. Since returning from injury, Reus has scored four goals and four assists in four appearances in all competition for his club.
Julian Draxler
He has long been a target for Arsene Wenger. His quality and versatility have impressed many, which includes the gaffer. If tricks and turns are concerned, Draxler is a better player than Iwobi and Chamberlain at any given day. His young age provides a perfect window for immense improvement.
Dimitri Payet
He has been in prolific form in the last few seasons. West Ham United have been poor this season and the midfield star could well leave in the winter if Bilic fails to bring stability soon.
There is no doubt he would be a brilliant buy for Gunners at a cheap price. A dead ball specialist and phenomenal dribbler, he will be a serious upgrade on the current wide players in Arsenal’s attack.
