Arsenal to invest in squad this January

Edin Dzeko of Manchester City is on Arsenal’s radar

According to reports emerging in the United Kingdom, Arsenal Football Club are planning to invest heavily in their squad when the winter transfer market opens this January.

Sources claim that Manchester City and Napoli strikers Edin Dzeko and Edinson Cavani and Crystal Palace wonderkid Wilfried Zaha have been targeted by the North London outfit in an attempt to bolster their attacking ranks.

Arsenal are still trying to get to terms with the departure of Dutch talisman Robin van Persie, who scored a career-best 37 goals last season. Although the club have acquired the services of Germany attacker Lukas Podolski, France forward Olivier Giroud and Spanish international Santiago Cazorla(the three have injected attacking flair into Arsenal), they are yet to click this season.

After eleven games played this season, Arsenal are eighth in the table, eleven points shy of Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester United, who have 27 points to their name. The Gunners do have one of the best defensive records in England, but their offence hasn’t scored more goals than their defenders have failed to stop.

GENOA, ITALY – NOVEMBER 11: Edinson Cavani of SSC Napoli celebrates a goal during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on November 11, 2012 in Genoa, Italy.

Arsenal’s Chief Scout Steve Rowley went to Naples to watch Cavani in action, and he could not have asked for a better sample of what the Club could be buying as the Uruguay international scored all four goals in his side’s come-from-behind 4-2 victory against Ukrainian outfit Dynamo Dnepropetrovsk.

Dzeko has scored six goals for Manchester City this season, all of them after coming from the bench. Having averaged a goal every sixty-four minutes, he sees his stake for the first team hampered by the presence of Argentine strike duo Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez. Mancini has publicly admitted his Bosnian forward isn’t happy, and Arsenal, who were interested in buying him when he was still at Wolfsburg, could provide him the first team football he craves.

Ivorian sensation Wilfried Zaha is a product of Crystal Palace’s Youth Academy, having come to the UK from his native country when he was a child. He was declared his club’s Best Player of the Year last season. He was recently called up to represent England by Roy Hodgson after frenetic negotiations with Palace, his agents and the player himself. Talks were only completed last night, and this could be a method of prising him away from representing the Ivory Coast, after reports emerged over national legend Didier Drogba personally calling him in an attempt to play for the Elephants.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 6: Wilfred Zaha of Crystal Palace in action with Ben Mee of Burnley during the npower Championship match between Crystal Palace and Burnley at Selhurst Park on October 6, 2012 in London, England.

Even if Zaha takes to the field against Sweden, he will still be eligible to play for Cote D’Ivoire since his England appearance will count as a non-competitive one.

However, one stumbling block for Wenger could be the transfer fees these players command. They will not come cheap and with a host of other clubs vying for the services of all three, the Gunners, who are known for being notoriously parsimonious, could be priced out of a move.

Arsenal are also looking for a goalkeeper to provide competition to Poland international Wojciech Szczesny.