Arsenal
Two English and a Frenchman…?
By Sean Oakes.
If newspaper reports are to be believed then its only a matter of time before a steady stream of new arrivals will be walking through the entrance doors of The Home Of Football. The Arsenal boss is known to love a bargain so to be on the verge of the possible signing of Joe Cole on a free transfer would be footballing music to the Frenchmans ears!
Not so long ago Arsene Wenger said that he was an “interesting player” and knowing the way that Arsenal like to conduct there business in private then its not suprising that this has gone completely under the radar! The signing of Cole would be a huge coup and a statement of intent not only to fans but to the rest of the premier league.
The reported interest in Laurent Koscielny is by no means a suprise. French, unknown and relivtively unknown outside of his own country. A typical Wenger signing some may say? A 6ft 1″ centre back, Koscielny has become a main stay of the Lorient back four with his strong no nonsense performances this season and has recieved rave reviews by the media in France.
Koscielny is eligable to play fpr both France and Poland so no doubt new France coach Laurent Blanc will want to include him in his first Les Bleus squad after the world cup. Lorient are believed to be looking for a fee of around £8million with Arsenal hoping to get the player for around the £6million mark. A £4.2million bid has already been rejected by the Breton club.
A second Englishman is also tipped to make a move to Arsenal. Newcastle Uniteds former England u21 captain Steven Taylor has been heavily linked to the club for a long time. After his much publisised training ground bust up with team mate Andy Carroll Taylor has found himself on the outside at St James park. Newcastle boss has come down on the side of Carroll which has forced Taylor to think about his future.
I have always been a huge fan of Taylor who reminds me so much of Arsenal legend Martin Keown. He also seems to tick all of Arsene Wengers boxes being young but with lots of experiance to boot. In my opinion Taylor could well become the bargain of the summer for a fee of around £5million……