Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Sign Carl Jenkinson; Gael Clichy Set to Depart Gunners?

Though it has not been officially confirmed on the Arsenal website, it is almost a certainty that youngster Carl Jenkinson has been signed by Arsenal. The Finnish FA has confirmed the news and it is speculated that the Gunners paid a compensation of £1million to Charlton since the player is less than 24. He had rejected the offer of a new contract at Charlton and has been snapped up by Arsene Wenger as his first signing of what is expected to be a busy summer at the Emirates.

The predominantly right footed player has featured mostly as a left back for Charlton though according to the esteemed Young Guns blog, he can play anywhere along the backline or even in midfield. Jenkinson is a signing for the future and though he has played as a left back for Charlton, Wenger could use him as a back-up for Bacary Sagna as well.

The 19-year-old is said to have good potential and if not loaned out, he will be used by Arsene Wenger in the league cup. However, it is likely that the Frenchman would loan the youngster to provide him with more opportunities to develop into a quality player. The successful loan spells of some Arsenal players like Ryo Miyaichi, Kyle Bartley and Jack Wilshere could persuade the Arsenal manager to loan the young defender, who is eligible to represent England and Switzerland.

Jenkinson is the first signing for Arsenal in the summer who had been linked with the young defender for the last couple of months but he is expected to be followed by some other youngsters as well as experienced players. Arsenal have been linked with some other youngsters including the likes of Jon Toral and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and also some experienced players like Scott Parker and Christopher Samba.

Arsene Wenger has already confirmed that he will be active in the transfer market and it is expected that there will be some departures this season. Wenger has made it clear that he will not let any player to run down his contract like Mathieu Flamini and that he will sell any player who does not wish to sign a new contract. While Samir Nasri is still expected to pen a new deal to stay at the Emirates, it is increasingly looking likely that Clichy will depart Arsenal to sign for a new club in the summer.

After a long association with the Gunners, Gael Clichy is reportedly not happy with the lack of trophies this season and with him being inconsistent this season, Wenger could sell the French International to generate money for new signings. Kieran Gibbs is a youngster who has immense potential but he does not look ready to be a part of the first team on a regular basis and also, his injuries are a worry for the Gunners.

Clichy had been linked with Barcelona and Real Madrid in the past but Inter Milan and Bayern Munich are the front-runners according to various websites. Though Clichy has been prone to errors this season, he is still regarded as one of the better left backs in the world and Inter Milan are apparently the favourites to sign the left back.

With Arsenal enduring a six year trophy drought, Arsene Wenger will look to sign a left back and cannot depend on youngsters Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson to provide solidity in defence. Fabio Coentrao has been impressive for Benefica and for the Portugal National team and is reportedly a target for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

If Real Madrid do sign Coentrao, Wenger could make an approach for one of Real's left backs, Alvaro Arbeloa and Marcelo. Arsenal have been linked with a move to sign Everton's Leighton Baines who has had a great season this year. The England International has a lot of Premiership experience and has great crossing ability which is one of the main reasons why he has 11 assists in the league.

Wenger has some big decisions to make in the summer regarding the players whom he can sign for the Gunners and also on the future of several Arsenal players including the likes of Andrei Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner. The Arsenal supporters have been frustrated with the lack of trophies and the cheap signings in the last few years and if Clichy does go, Wenger will have to replace the defender with an established player because mistakes by youngsters could prove to be costly in the context of a title race.

Carl Jenkinson is another of Wenger's investment in quality young players and though Wenger could sign more youngsters in the transfer window, Arsenal supporters will hope that the Frenchman will sign more experienced players to cope with the expected departures of Clichy and a few others and also provide quality depth, which can help the Gunners end their trophy drought.

Juventus to make shock bids for Robin van Persie and Edin Dzeko

Juventus are preparing huge bids to acquire talented strikers Robin van Persie and Edin Dzeko. Manchester City are the favourites to sign Edin Dzeko but the Italian club will try to tilt the balance in favour of them by offering them a deal which includes Momo Sissoko and striker Amauri. As far as Robin van Persie is concerned, they might offer Felipe Melo in order to negotiate the deal.

However as far as Robin van Persie is concerned, it is very difficult to negotiate a deal in January. The Dutch striker has developed an excellent relationship with his team mates and has a lot of respect for Arsene Wenger and the club. He revealed that he did have offers two seasons from Chelsea, Manchester City and Juventus but rejected all of them to stay at Arsenal. The talented no. 10 went on to sign a new contract with the Gunners.

Arsene Wenger has reportedly tried to sign Felipe Melo in the past but it does seem like he did not fancy a swap deal involving Gael Clichy in the summer. Emmanuel Frimpong is said to be recovering well and should be fit in another 2 months and with Alex Song in excellent form, there is no need to sign the Brazilian midfielder. Also, Robin van Persie is a crucial striker for Arsenal in the second half of the season and the Gunners would struggle to find a replacement for him should they decide to sell. Also, Van Persie’s love for the club means that he is almost sure to stay at the club.

Juventus and Manchester City tried to sign Edin Dzeko this summer but was unsuccessful in their attempts. However City are in pole position to sign the Bosnian striker but Juventus are trying to hijack the deal with an offer to Wolfsburg to retain the services of Dzeko till the summer while also offering Sissoko and Amauri. Roberto Mancini believes that this deal could be done easily and despite Juventus’ offers, it is clear that Manchester City who can dig deep into their pockets for money are the favourites to sign the £40 million rated striker.

Ex-Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor who has had a torrid time at the Eastlands is likely to move but not to another top English club and maybe a target of Juventus should they fail to land both Robin van Persie and Edin Dzeko.

Arsenal Transfer Rumours: Analysing the Pros and Cons of the Benzema-Clichy deal

Gael Clichy has drawn a lot of criticism for his rather ordinary performance against Manchester United with Arsenal legend Lee Dixon saying that he has not progressed enough for the Gunners. He is a quality player and at the moment, it does seem that he does lack the confidence to be at his best. The French International is in the process of negotiating his contract which runs out in 2012 and is attracting the interest of European giants Real Madrid.

There was supposed interest from Spanish giants Barcelona on acquiring Clichy in the summer; however, they signed Adriano putting an end to the rumours linking Clichy. However in recent days leading to the January transfer window, there have been reports linking their Spanish rivals Real Madrid with the left back.

Arsenal are estimated to value Gael Clichy in the range of £15-20 million and will try to get the best value for the last remaining "Invincible." Real Madrid are reported to offer Karim Benzema to the Gunners as a part of the swap deal to tempt the Gunners to accept the offer.

In my opinion, both the clubs have high aspirations for the Champions League and having qualified for the knock-out phases, they would look to utilise the best opportunities. Gael Clichy and Karim Benzema have both played a role for their respective clubs and so a January transfer is ruled out in my opinion.

However, a summer transfer is still very probable considering that if Clichy does not sign till the end of the season, then Wenger might look to cash in on the French International.

The Present Scenario of Gael Clichy

Clichy has come under immense scrutiny after his errors in this season and with the steady emergence of Kieran Gibbs, it does look like Clichy might have to move on in the future to accommodate the young Englishman. Gael Clichy might be lured by the prospect of playing in Spain for one of the biggest clubs in the world in Real Madrid and might move on to undertake different challenges.

Kieran Gibbs has suffered numerous injuries this season and missed a large portion of the last season due to a long term injury. He is a youngster of immense potential but his injury troubles means that it might be a gamble by Wenger to sell Clichy.

Arsene Wenger shares an excellent relationship with Clichy and could convince him that he has a bright future at the Emirates which could result in him signing a new deal by the end of the summer.

The Present Scenario of Karim Benzema

Real Madrid welcomed the arrival of Jose Mourinho in the summer and the Portuguese tactician brought a number of youngsters to the Bernabeu. However, Benzema has not endured a good period in his reign so far and has been benched for a large part of the season, so far. He was signed for £30 million last summer but has failed to produce his best form and with limited opportunities, he does not have enough confidence at the moment.

Arsene Wenger will understand the French Striker's talent and has an excellent record of harnessing the potential of many young players. Benzama is a player of undoubted potential but has suffered due to the high profile move to Madrid which has put him under immense pressure.

There are a number of transfer reports linking Real Madrid with many prolific strikers like Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez and Diego Milito. With the injury to Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain and Mourinho's lack of confidence in Benzema, there is an excellent probability that a new striker might arrive in January.

If that is the case, Karim Benzema who is already not enjoying a good period with the Los Mernegues might look to move on if he does get the chance. Juventus have offered the escape route for him but he might be tempted by the possibility to play for Arsenal considering his excellent rapport with his French teammates Samir Nasri, Bacary Sagna and Abou Diaby.

Arsenal's Advantages in Signing Karim Benzema

The Gunners signed the Moroccan International Marouane Chamakh to give them an extra dimension in attack and he has had a good start to the season. He has been very impressive with his work rate and has already scored 10 goals in the seaosn. However, he is not a prolific goalscorer and is not very clinical when it comes to finishing with his feet.

Since the departure of Thierry Henry, Arsenal have not had a striker who could notch around 25 goals in a season, which has contributed greatly to their title drought. Robin van Persie has the ability to score goals consistently but has never been able to avoid getting injured over the course of the season which has left Arsenal struggling in the past.

Henry was struggling for Juventus after he moved from Monaco but under Wenger, he found his confidence and went on to become arguably the greatest striker for Arsenal. Benzema's case is not too different; he scored 55 goals in two seasons at Lyon but has been unable to produce the same form at Madrid. Wenger is known for resurrecting careers of players with immense potential and it is a gamble worth taking.

Arsenal's Disadvantages in the Deal Involving the Departure of Gael Clichy

Gael Clichy is the longest serving player at Arsenal at present and has immense experience after playing in the first team regularly over the years. Though Clichy does make the odd error, he is a quality left back and provides a lot of stability to the team. Arsenal have not had a stable defence for some time now and replacing Clichy with Gibbs will be a risk to say the least.

Kieran Gibbs is quite prone to injuries and Arsenal might suffer if he cannot keep himself fit for most part of the season. Also, if Clichy does leave, then Arsenal will have no experienced alternatives other than Gibbs and the lack of competition might not produce the best from the Englishman.

Armand Traore who is currently on loan at Juventus will be expected to be the second choice Left Back while Thomas Cruise could be a surprise retention in the squad to be the third choice left back.

For a defence which has leaked a number of goals in the recent few years, letting one of the most experienced players forming the backline is a risky decision. However, Wenger should decide when it is time for Gibbs to take over from Clichy as the Englishman needs to be playing regularly in the future.

The Nicklas Bendtner Situation

Nicklas Bendtner has voiced out against being regularly amongst the Arsenal substitutes and wants to play regularly. However, with Robin van Persie and Marouane Chamakh ahead of him in the pecking order, he has endured plenty of frustration being on the bench coupled with lot of injuries he has suffered in this season.

Bendtner has been with Arsenal from a very young age and Wenger has high hopes for the Denmark International. The Dane showcased in the latter stages of the last season that he is capable of leading the line in the future, but his development has been hampered by injuries and lack of playing time. He is also not a clinical finisher and has squandered numerous opportunities in the past.

Bendtner has been linked with Bayern Munich and Ajax, who could lose their start striker Luis Suarez in the future to bigger European clubs. Arsenal value him at around £10-15 million and could allow the striker to leave if he wants a move away from the Emirates as his lack of playing time could even cost him a place in the National team.

Analysis of the Deal

If the deal does go through in the future, then it is certain that Arsene Wenger will allow one of his strikers to leave which will probably be Nicklas Bendtner. If that is the case, it could be Karim Benzema who will be the third striker at Arsenal with Gibbs taking over as the first choice Left Back with Armand Traore his deputy.

Arsene Wenger does not spend too much on a transfer and that will be the case in this deal too. He will have to pay around £6-8 million in addition to Gael Clichy going the other way in order to secure the services of Karim Benzema. He can recoup the money spent by the transfer of Bendtner who is sure to fetch a minimum of around £10 million.

If Real Madrid do offer the deal to Arsenal, then Arsene Wenger should analyse this deal because it could be profitable for the Gunners in terms of acquiring the players who could win titles for the team. He must also decide whether Kieran Gibbs is ready to step into the first team on a regular basis and if the team can cope with the loss of Clichy to Real Madrid.