Arsenal step up chase for Yohan Cabaye as panic sets in at the Emirates
Interest in
Cabaye, a ball-playing midfielder of undoubted class, crystalised as Arsenal were contemplating awkward Champions League qualifier against Fenerbahce in Istanbul and digesting the loss of Oxlade-Chamberlain to long-term injury. The England midfielder underwent scans on his left knee and, while he does not appear to have ruptured his cruciate ligament, he fears the damage sustained will most likely rule him out for the rest of the year. Confirmation of his absence is expected when Wenger is in Istanbul on the eve of the game at the Sukru Saracoglu stadium.
It has further depleted a squad which had already been trimmed of its high-earning fringe players but has seen only the French forward Yaya Sanogo, signed on a free transfer from Auxerre, added. With the transfer deadline under two weeks away, Wenger's attempts to strengthen have seen inquiries also lodged with the Italian champions Juventus for their former Manchester United midfielder,
Paul Pogba. That seems an ambitious chase, with Sevilla's
Geoffrey Kondogbia, 20, an alternative even if the Spaniards, too, will resist a sale.
While Arsenal still hold out some hope that their pursuit of
Luis Suárez and
Wayne Rooney is not forlorn, the Swansea City forward
Michu has emerged as a potential fall-back option though no bid has been submitted and it remains to be seen whether Wenger would be willing to pay in excess of £20m for a player who moved to the Welsh club from Rayo Vallecano for nearer £2m a year ago. Stoke City are still braced for a bid for their goalkeeper,
Asmir Begovic, while Swansea's
Ashley Williams and City's
Micah Richards, who was suffering with a hamstring strain on Monday night, remain as defensive targets.
Yet time is ticking down towards the deadline and the sudden flurry of interest in potential signings, combined with the sense of mutiny at the final whistle on Sunday, has created an air of panic around the club. At present, the likeliest arrival in a summer that had begun with bold pledges to make waves in the market, with up to £70m apparently available for deals, still appears to be
Mathieu Flamini.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/201 ... tle-united
We are going to sign
everyone 
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