Cabaye & Mignolet On Short List Of Targets If Arsenal Fail To Make Top-Four

Despite the transfer window now being closed there will still be plenty of gossip doing the rounds in the newspapers, so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest transfer rumours. Today, Arsenal draw up a list of targets in case they miss out on the top four.

Arsenal have drawn up a list of back-up targets in-case the club fails to secure Champions League football next season with Yohan Cabaye and Simon Mignolet among those being considered, according to the Mirror.

We take on fourth-placed Tottenham in a crucial North London Derby this afternoon trailing our rivals by four points and the game has taken on an extra significance given how much it could impact upon our summer spending plans.

The Mirror claim Arsene Wenger will have around £70m to spend this summer but only if we manage to secure a top-four finish this season. Failure to do so would see his budget slashed and the club are understood to have come up with a contingency plan in-case we miss out on Champions League football next season.

The report suggests our top targets for the summer include the likes of Steven Jovetic, David Villa, Mario Gotze, Luiz Gustavo, Etienne Capoue and Victor Valdes, but we’ll only be able to attract these kinds of players if we can offer them Champions League football.

So the Mirror claim the boss has asked his scouts to come up with a list of back-up targets in-case we finish fifth, with Newcastle’s Yohan Cabaye, Wigan’s James ­McCarthy and Celtic’s ­Victor Wanyama all believed to be of interest along with Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

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All top players want Champions League football these days and we’d have virtually no chance of signing the likes of Jovetic or Gotze if we’re in the Europa League next season so it makes sense for the club to come up with a list of alternative targets.

Any of the ‘B-list’ players would improve our squad and I’m sure there are plenty of other players out there who would still join Arsenal even if we’re in the Europa League next season, but if we’re to build a squad capable of challenging for trophies again we need to sign the best, and the best want the Champions League.

So lets beat the Spuds today, get a top-four finish and make some BIG signings in the summer! COYG!