Arsenal Agrees Pre-Contract With £26m Rated Manchester City Target

Yesterday, news filtered in that Khedira has agreed personal terms with Arsenal and is set to join them once the January transfer window opens. Kudos must be given to Wenger for an astute buy; this is because apart from being a player who could tip Arsenal’s chances of winning the league up, he is a world class player and comes on the cheap. His contract with Real Madrid has 9 months remaining and this might just be why Wenger resisted signing him in the summer and preferred to wait till January. That though is mere speculation, for if indeed he has agreed a move to Arsenal, then Chelsea and Man City should expect a tough challenge from Arsenal.

And one is left to wonder why Man City did not attempt to sign Khedira. Already he has proved himself in the Madrid squad, contributing to their winning the “La Decima” last season, and also being a world cup winner. It might seem strange that City is being mentioned, but a critical look at January and February next year will have fans wondering if their missing out on Khedira won’t come back to bite them. This is because, Toure will be unavailable due to the African Nations Cup that will be taking place in Morroco sometime between January to February. Toure needs no introduction, as he is the driving force of City’s midfield and his absence will hurt their chances of defending their league. Another factor to consider is Lampard. His loan will end in January and his new manager, New York FC Jason Kreis has insisted on his return despite an extension being hinted at.

Should both players leave City come January, there will be no available midfielder who could fill take their roles and perform up to task. Milner is certainly no box to box midfielder and neither is David Silva. Fernandinho is more suited to being a holding midfielder and cannot dictate the pace of a game. This is where Khedira would have filled in for Toure. His ability to read games, create chances and supply the front men with accurate passes would surely have worked wonders as City would be able to cope and keep up with Chelsea at the top of the table. However, such is not the case and one wonders how City will handle this situation when the time comes. Certainly Pellegrini and Begiristain would have prepared for this eventuality and had contingency plans. With Khedira on the cheap though ( he is rated 26m according to reports but due to his contract situation may be available for circa 10m ), the thinking is they would have had a deal wrapped up for him by now, but we must factor in City’s FFP sanctions, which dictates that their transfer spending must be limited to €49 million, and they must also cap squad wage bill. This might be the reason for the lack of interest in Khedira, nonetheless, Arsenal’s gain is City’s loss. This because Khedira is a class act, a player of immense talent who would certainly have bolstered City’s campaign this season with a string of excellent and eye catching performances.