Arsenal in for Bayern Man?
Arsenal have had their ups and downs under new manager, Unai Emery this season. The past two weeks have been a great example, as Arsenal went down with barely a whimper against West Ham United before delivering a great performance to defeat Chelsea.
With the January transfer window closing soon, the Gunners are yet to make a move in the transfer market and reports suggest there is no money to spend on new players. It seems strange, having been so well managed financially in the past, that Arsenal have no money available to sign new players.
New Additions
Emery has already brought in four players during his short time at the Emirates Stadium, including fan favourite, Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria for £27 million. The Spaniard has also spent £22 million on goalkeeper Bernd Leno, £14 million on central defender Sokratis and £7 million on young midfielder, Matteo Guendouzi.
While the total expenditure does not match that of some of their rivals, Arsenal have spent money ahead of this season but Emery appears to want further reinforcements.
Lack of Creativity
One area of criticism levelled at Arsenal following their recent 1-0 loss at West Ham was the lack of creativity in the team. There was no one on the pitch who could produce that piece of magic to unlock the Hammers defence and create a chance for the strikers to score a goal.
Mesut Ozil has been a glaring omission from the Arsenal team in recent weeks and was once gain given watching brief last weekend during the win over Chelsea. It has become apparent the Arsenal boss does not fancy the German and he could be about to turn to a Colombian international instead.
James Rodriguez
James Rodriguez is currently on loan at German giants Bayern Munich from Real Madrid. The 27 year old attacking midfielder has played only nine games in the Bundesliga this season plus three in the Champions League for Bayern Munich. He is not a regular fixture in the starting XI and will return to his parent club at the end of his loan deal.
However, as Emery looks for someone to open up defences in tight games, Rodriguez could be the perfect fit. SkyBet offer 7/2 for Rodriguez to make a permanent move from Real Madrid to Arsenal before then end of the January transfer window but if a move does happen, it is more likely to be a loan.
Liverpool have also been rumoured to be interested in the Colombian international but the Reds are out at 20/1 to sign the player in January. Interestingly, Liverpool have been linked with a former player this week and BetVictor offer 6/1 for Jurgen Klopp to bring Philippe Coutinho back to the club.
The Brazilian has not had a great time at Barcelona, who have just caused a shock and signed Kevin Prince Boateng on loan for the rest of the season. Napoli and Manchester United have also been linked with Coutinho at 8/1 and 6/1 respectively.