Santa Cruz In, Adebayor Out?
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Santa Cruz scored 19 goals in 37 appearances for Rovers in his debut season following a ₤3.8 million move from Bayern Munich.
The Paraguay international signed a four-year deal upon arrival at Ewood Park last July, but according to The Times, the Gunners are confident of landing the 26-year-old should Adebayor ship off in the summer.The Togolese hitman has been linked with Barcelona recently, amid reports new coach Josep Guardiola has targeted the 24-year-old as his first showpiece signing.
And while the former Monaco man has insisted he is happy at the Emirates, Barca could easily top his current ₤35,000-per-week wages while Arsenal would be unable to match the Catalans financially.
Flattered
The Gunners have already lost midfielder Mathieu Flamini to AC Milan, and could also lose Aleksandr Hleb to Internazionale amid rumours the Belarus international is unsettled in North London.
Adebayor has already admitted to being flattered by Barca’s interest, and he told L’Equipe recently: “It pleases me, because it is very flattering for a young Togolese who is only 24 to see Barcelona following him. For the moment I’m very happy at Arsenal, but we’ll see what happens next.”
Wenger would most definitely need to draft in a new line-leader should Adebayor leave, given Eduardo’s long-term lay-off and Robin van Persie’s continual injury problems.
And while Santa Cruz would cost considerably more than what Rovers paid, he would be an ideal replacement given the physical similarities between he and Adebayor.
Dein Return?
Meanwhile, Wenger has off-field issues to attend to as well, following the departure of former managing director Keith Edelman.
It is believed the former Monaco boss played a significant part in the Edelman’s exit, as the two clashed frequently over financial issues, coming to a head when the manager was denied the opportunity to invest in the January transfer window.
And it is further understood the Frenchman will push to have close friend David Dein reinstated at the club, after the former vice-chairman left Arsenal in acrimonious circumstances just over a year ago.
Dein was supportive of American business Stan Kroenke’s plans to take over the Gunners, but met fierce opposition from certain members of the board, especially Edelman.
But as foreign-owned Manchester United and Chelsea continue to dominate the Premier League, the higher-ups at the Emirates have come around to the idea of a takeover, and may push Kroenke’s bid as opposed to that of Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.
Unfortunately, Dein has teamed up with Usmanov since leaving the club, but he may be will to resign as chairman of the investment group Red and White Holdings should he be offered the opportunity to return to Arsenal.i would not mind Santa Cruz coming
