FC Porto and Colombia forward Jackson Martinez has revealed that he would be unable to turn down the opportunity to play for Arsenal if the North London side came knocking.
The 27-year-old has 14 goals from 20 appearances this season, including 2 goals in the Champions League despite Porto crashing out at the group stages, and is almost a certainty to be on the plane to Brazil with his country.
He has mentioned before that he was a fan of Arsenal and Chelsea growing up, but recent interviews have shown his clear preference for the Gunners.
With Nicklas Bendtner ruled out for a month after his goalscoring display against Cardiff, the need for backup in the frontman position is becoming more and more evident. French hitman Oliver Giroud has been suffering with a sickness bug which has seen him miss the last two games, leaving Theo Walcott to fill in in the centre-forward role against Spurs.
After Walcott was stretchered off in that game, desperation threatens to kick in.
Martinez seems to be a perfect fit. The pacey attacker has played none-stop this season and has suffered very few injuries while continuously hitting the net. Plus, Jackson seems keen on a move to the Emirates:
"I cheered for Arsenal when I was a kid – I love their style of play," he said.
"It’s flowing and open with a lot of first touch passes. It would be suitable for a player like me.”
"If I get a chance to play for a high level club like Arsenal I wouldn't hesitate to accept it."
His price tag has been touted as reaching the heights of a dizzying £30million, an unlikely propect with last summer’s £42million spent on Mesut Ozil. Plus, with Wenger on the market for a backup striker, the Frenchman is unlikely to burn a hole in the pocket on someone to warm the bench.
‘Keeper cover
Finally, Mr Wenger has been rumoured to be preparing a bid for Reading’s 24-year-old goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.
McCarthy shot to fame last year when he put in a Man of the Match performance for relegated Reading against Liverpool, a performance which eventually resulted in his first England call-up.
And, with Wojciech Szczesny showing shaky signs yet again after what has been a remarkably solid season, McCarthy could be in line for a back-up spot.
Szczesny has pulled off some flying saves to keep Arsenal at the head of the table, however his error against Newcastle which saw him slam the ball off Loic Remy’s head almost saw the side’s hard work undone in a blink. It is errors like these which threaten the Polish stopper’s place.
The young Reading man has kept Adam Federici out of the side for a number of weeks now and has begun turning heads once more, with Newcastle United rumoured to be in for him too.
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