Are Arsenal just a few players away from the title?

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has stated he will not spend big this summer

For a long time Arsenal fans have held on to the hope that next season will be the season that they win the Premier League title.

Yet every season somehow the Gunners contrive to finish fourth or last third in the Premier League table.

Massive

Arsenal is a massive club, both in terms of structure and history. The Gunners are based in England’s capital, a place where a host of foreigners head to each year to make their dreams come true, both on and off the pitch.

Yet despite their potential, Arsenal come across as the nearly men of Premier League football for the last decade. Two FA Cup triumphs in a decade is not exactly the stuff of dreams for Gooner’s.

Promise

They say it is the hope that kills you and every campaign the Gunners start with a real sense of optimism. Arsenal fans must have died a thousand deaths by now, because their team flatters to deceive so often, yet always seem so close to challenging.

Couple

There is always a sense of just a few more quality players will help my team achieve their relative objective for the season from Premier League fans. However, it is easy to see why Arsenal fans in particular believe that particular idea.

The Arsenal players have a tendency to blow hot and cold. When they are on fire the fire brigade struggle to put them out, but it seems when it matters the Gunners players go to pieces in the race for the Premier League title.

The belief that a couple of players will turn the Gunners into a Premier League title winning side is based on the theory that they need a solid ‘keeper, another central midfielder and a world-class striker. Unfortunately every top team seems to be looking for the same thing.

Linked

Arsenal has been linked with a number of transfer targets this summer as usual. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will no doubt be his usual cautious self this summer, after revealing the club will not spend crazy money.

That means no big bids for Gareth Bale or Paul Pogba, who were let’s face it probably not realistic signings for the Gunners under Wenger’s regime. There are players out there that do seem within the reach of Wenger’s idea of value for money though.

One of those players seems to be Chelsea ‘keeper Petr Cech, who spent last season doing a great job at warming the Chelsea substitute bench. The veteran ‘keeper is set to move on this summer in search of regular first team football.

It seems that Arsenal are currently in pole position to complete a £10million deal for Cech, despite the fact Blues boss Jose Mourinho feels that the Gunners are too close for comfort to the Blues.

Cech would be an upgrade to the Gunners current pair of Colombian David Ospina and Poland international Wojciech Szczesny. Both have doubts about their future at the club. Ospina is being heavily linked with a move to Turkey, while Szczesny seems to be out of favour at the Emirates.

I doubt many Arsenal fans would turn down the chance to sign Cech, who has collected every piece of silverware worth collecting in club football with Chelsea.

Another transfer target for the Gunners seems to be Ospina’s Colombian international teammate Jackson Martinez, who recently stated his admiration for the Gunners as a club. The 28-year-old is at the Copa America with Colombia, but is likely to make a decision his future on his return.

The striker has claimed that Arsenal have not yet made a bid for his services, which would suggest that the Gunners have other targets, or they are biding their time to make an offer. Martinez has been prolific in the Portuguese top-flight in the last three years, finding the net 67 times in 90 appearances.

Last season the striker scored seven goals in the Champions League in just eight appearances and broke the 20-goal barrier for the third consecutive season.

The development of Francis Coquelin as a viable option for the defensive midfield role seems to have negated the need for a new midfielder urgently. However, the Gunners have still been linked with moves for Morgan Schneiderlin, William Carvalho, Youri Tielemans and Geoffrey Kondogbia to name just a few.

Challengers

We will have to wait and see if the Gunners are just two players away from being Premier League champions next season. For me though the signing of Cech and a quality striker will definitely improve their chances of the title next season.

At odds of 9/2 to win the title, the Gunners are sure to be up there challenging for the big trophy next season. However, whether the Arsenal faithful will be chanting the mantra ‘just two more players to win the title’ once again at the end of the season remains to be seen.

Are Arsenal just a few players away from the title?