Struggling for ideas: Don’t worry, Arsene. We’re here to help (Picture: Action Images)

After Arsene Wenger wished the media good luck in finding available players good enough to play for Arsenal in the January transfer window, Metro Sport decided to take up the challenge and offer the Frenchman our top 10 suggestions.

Don’t tell us any of these players are out of the Gunners’ reach, Arsene…!

Mapou Yanga-mbiwa of Montpellier (Picture: Getty)

Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (Montpellier)

The French defender is strong, quick and more than capable with the ball at his feet, making him an ideal Arsenal signing, who could slot in anywhere across the back-four or even occupy the holding midfield role.

Yanga-Mbiwa, 23, penned a contract extension until 2015, but with Montpellier likely to miss out on European football this season, the Gunners would surely be able to wrestle him away from the Stade de la Mosson for less than £8m.


Athletic Bilbao’s forward Fernando Llorente (Picture: AFP/Getty)

Fernando Llorente (Athletico Bilbao)

This one seems like a no-brainer. The striker is rotting on the bench at Bilbao after refusing to sign a new contract, and January represents the club’s last chance to recoup some cash for the 27-year-old.



Standing at a towering 6’5, Llorente is strong in the air, good on the floor and has an eye for goal. In other words, he’s the complete centre-forward.

He may command a pretty penny on salary, but a reduced transfer fee would surely offset the difference.

Montpellier’s French midfielder Remy Cabella (Picture: AFP)

Rémy Cabella (Montpellier)

An exciting winger not afraid to take on opposition, Cabella showed real promise and sparkle in both of Montpellier’s Champions League clashes against Arsenal, and significantly, was the chief supplier of Olivier Giroud’s goals in the French side’s title-winning season of 2011/12.

The 22-year-old could offer the Gunners a valuable alternative to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who lacks competition on the flank at the Emirates, and seems to be struggling to make an impact as an automatic starter.

Yevhen Konoplyanka of Ukraine

Yevhen Konoplyanka (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)

Another wing wizard, Konoplyanka is one of the hottest talents in the Ukraine, and his performances at Euro 2012 and against England in the recent World Cup qualifier suggest he’s more than ready to step up to the Premier League.

AS Roma’s Miralem Pjanic (Picture: REUTERS)

Miralem Pjanic (Roma)

After signing from Lyon for just £9m in 2011, the midfielder has largely been used as a substitute this season under a new manager.

However, with bags of ability, Pjanic, 22, represents real value for money and could inject some purpose and intent into Arsenal’s midfield.

Marouane Fellaini of Everton (Picture: Getty)

Mauroanne Fellaini (Everton)

While the Belgian has drawn plaudits this season from playing in a second striker role, the 25-year-old is more than capable of putting in a tackle and linking up play from deeper in midfield.

At £22m (which is his rumoured release clause), Fellaini will not come cheap, but top players at his age rarely do, and if Arsenal want to seriously show their ambition, this could be the perfect way to do so.

A.S. Roma’s Daniele De Rossi (Picture: AFP/Getty)

Danielle De Rossi (Roma)

While it may not make sound financial sense to shell out £10m+ on a 29-year-old defensive midfielder, the Italian’s tenacity and bite in midfield is exactly what Arsenal lack when they come up against quality or dogged opposition.

De Rossi is at odds with Roma boss Zdenek Zeman, and will almost certainly be sold at the right price.

His salary would be large and his shelf life shorter than a typical Wenger signing, but his experience and presence would be invaluable for at least four more years.

Mohamed Diame of West Ham (Picture: Action Images)

Mohamed Diamé (West Ham)

Had he not been virtually ruled out of the January calendar with a hamstring tear, the midfield powerhouse would surely have been bothering the top of Arsenal’s New Year wishlist.

25 years old with a £3.5m release clause, Diame is almost the archetypal Wenger signing, and should still be considered even if he can play no part in the Gunners’ immediate fixtures.

Newcastle’s Hatem Ben Arfa (Picture: Ian Hodgson)

Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle)

Wingers with the ability to directly impact a game are few and far between in the modern age, but the former Marseille man is certainly one of them, and comes with the added bonus of being proven in the Premier League.



The Gunners often lack spark, imagination and penetration from the flanks, but Ben Arfa, 25, could certainly offer an abundance of all three.

With Newcastle toiling at the wrong end of the table, acquiring the Frenchman would not break the Emirates bank, although he is currently out of action as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

Wesley Sneijder has not played for Inter Milan since September (Picture: AP)

Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan)

Seems far-fetched, but he is available… And the Dutchman certainly has the pedigree needed to represent the Gunners.

Obviously his wages would be astronomical, and many clubs will rightly be put off by his demands.

He’s also not the type of commanding midfielder, winger or striker that Arsenal are lacking, but the fact remains, he is a significant talent on the market.