Arsenal Transfer Rumors: Stephan Lichtsteiner, Grzegorz Krychowiak

How’s that for two household names? Arsenal transfer rumors have us linked to some easily pronounceable stars like Pedro and Mats Hummels, but now we’ve got two guys who could wreak havoc on announcers. But onto the important stuff.

Arsenal’s two weaknesses: Defense and holding midfielder. The links have been limitless and will continue to be until the voids are filled. These are just the two latest possible solutions.

It’s refreshing to see so many diverse options linked to Arsenal, even if in the back of my head I’ve accepted we’ll probably just grab another elderly Swede with a bad back.

First, Stephan Lichtsteiner, who Arsenal are reportedly “desperate” to sign according to The Express. The 30-year old fills in at right back and would allow Calum Chambers to provide backup at centerback. He’s known for his runs down the right flank, much like Mathie Debuchy. Lichtsteiner is rising on the wishlist for Arsenal along with Virgil van Dijk, who would provide direct cover at centerback and allow Calum Chambers to play right back.

It’s all about price. Lichtsteiner is also being pursued by Chelsea and Real Madrid, two of the highest-spending clubs in the history of the world, but Arsenal are known to have the deepest pockets. At 30-years old, the price tag won’t be astronomical, so this is a very realistic solution.

The other name in the title is the one I’m more excited about. Grzegorz Krychowiak is a big defensive mid that features for Sevilla. And by features I mean he is an imposing force on the squad. He also features for the Polish National Team (in case you couldn’t tell by his name). With each increase in competition, the Pole gets better and better and the next step is to take it to the big stage, the Premier League.

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Krychowiak started shining at Reims. where he made 70 appearances across two season and added eight goals for good measure. With Wojciech Szczesny already on the squad, coaxing another Pole to the Emirates wouldn’t be hard.

The problem is price. Sevilla bought the 24-year old for a mere 4.5 million pounds (where was Wenger on that one), but he now has a release clause just under 25 million pounds and the likelihood of Arsenal paying that are slim to none, so it all comes down to negotiations.

It’s refreshing to see so many diverse options linked to Arsenal, even if in the back of my head I’ve accepted that we’ll probably just grab another elderly Swede with a bad back.

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