Just because the transfer window is less than two weeks from closing doesn’t mean it’s going to start slowing down. No, the craziest period is yet to come, and it might just be kicked off by a shocking Arsenal signing. The Gunners have long been tied to Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, but according to new rumors in England, they might be signing a different striker this week -- Paris Saint-Germain frontman Edinson Cavani.
Edinson Cavani linked to Arsenal, but it’s probably not going to happen
This makes sense right up until you start digging into and thinking seriously about the rumor.
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The rumors have Cavani’s price tag around £35 million, a price Arsenal would easily be able to pay in order to secure the services of El Matador. The Uruguayn international is rumored to be unhappy at PSG after a falling out with manager Laurent Blanc last season, and that discord could work to the Gunners’ benefit. They’ve wanted an upgrade at striker for a long time, and it’d be hard to argue with their choice if they tapped Cavani.
Why it makes sense
Cavani's powerful pell-mell style would mesh well with the Premier League, and the thought of his strong presence up top demanding attention and opening up space for Arsenal's attacking midfielders is a mouth-watering one. One problem Arsenal have faced over the last couple of years is that it's been too easy to isolate their striker and start concentrating on the attacking the midfield band behind him -- with Cavani leading the line, that would no longer be an option and Arsenal could become much, much more dangerous because of it.
He’d also be a good deal cheaper than Benzema, with a gap of roughly £10 million between their rumored fees. With Arsenal still having other needs, especially in central midfield, being able to save a little bit on a big transfer like Cavani without sacrificing quality is huge. Arsenal might be able to use that to get a midfielder who, when added to Cavani, could transform the Gunners from a near-lock for a Champions League place in the Premier League to a potential title contender.
Why it doesn’t make sense
There are two big factors that pretty much blow this rumor out of the water. The first? The sourcing. The rumor appears to originate with the Daily Metro, one of England’s less-reliable newspapers. Every once in awhile, though, they deliver some pretty solid information with excellent sourcing -- but this time, they’re going on vaguely-cited “reports in Spain.” Yeah, that’s a huge red flag.
Add to that the fact that Paris Saint-Germain just put Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the transfer market, meaning the French side will be reliant on Cavani this season. They could, of course, always buy another big-name striker -- how you doin’ in Naples, Gonzalo Higuain? -- but this late in the transfer window that’s a dicey proposition at best. It’s much more likely that PSG lean on Cavani as their main man up top for a season and then bring in someone else next summer.
Likelihood it happens
While Cavani joining Arsenal is fun to think about and you can never completely rule out a transfer rumor, the cold, harsh realities around this one mean that we can only give it a 1/10 chance of coming true.
This is a post from our transfer rumors section. For news, analysis and more, check out the main SB Nation Soccer page.
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