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Report: Wenger To Make Improved Bid After Seeing €23m Move Rejected

By mac14 on March 27, 2014

Arsene Wenger is ready to make another attempt to sign Lars Bender after seeing a €23m (£19m) offer rejected last summer, according to reports.

Bender has been hugely impressive in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen in recent years and he was on our radar last summer when it was widely reported that we had failed with a £19m bid.

However, the boss hasn’t given up hope of bringing the 24-year-old midfielder to north London and the Daily Mail are one of several newspapers who are claiming that we will make an improved offer this summer.

The report states that our chief scouts, Steven Rowley, has watched Bender on several occasions this year and Arsene is now convinced he’s the man to solve our defensive midfield problems next season.

I’ve been begging for Arsenal to sign a powerful, ball-playing midfielder over the past 12 months and Bender would make for an excellent signing. He’s at the right age, is good on the ball, likes to make tackles, is positionally sound and can pick a pass. He’s perfect Arsene, so go get him this summer. Just pay what it takes and bring him to the Emirates!

Mikel Arteta’s legs are gone and he just isn’t a defensive midfielder. We’ve been carved open far too often this season, particularly on the break, and it’s because we lack pace and power in the central midfield areas. So a player like Bender is desperately needed and should be considered as much of a priority as a new striker in my opinion.

The Mail claim Wenger is also keen on Borussia Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan, but realises he’ll be extremely difficult to acquire, while Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin is also under serious consideration. Schneiderlin would also be an excellent purchase if we can’t get Bender and he’s got the added benefit of experience in the Premier League, and he might also be slightly cheaper than Bender.

I’d be delighted if we could get either Bender or Schneiderlin this summer, and if we throw in a top class finisher and potential replacements for Bacary Sagna and Thomas Vermaelen, we might just have a squad capable of going all the way next year.