Arsene Wenger is lining up an £8 million move for Newcastle’s Cheick Tiote to add more physicality to his midfield, if rumours from Caught Offside are to be believed.
For some time now, the Arsenal midfield has been accused of lacking the nasty streak present during the days of Patrick Vieira and co, and the rambunctious Ivorian would certainly help fill that quota.
Wenger is familiar with Newcastle, having signed Mathieu Debuchy earlier this summer whilst also attempting to sign Yohan Cabaye last year.
The boss is thought to be in the market for a replacement centre-half following the departure of Thomas Vermaelen to Barcelona, and Tiote certainly wouldn’t constitute that.
Since the flurry of post-World Cup transfers, things seem to have ground to a halt. The squad is shaping up nicely, and they are looking sharp in the build-up to the kick-off on Saturday.
While the club may be in need of this perfect mythical ‘DM’, signing Tiote would feel like shooting ourselves in the foot, especially following the success of the previous transfer business.
Thankfully, you can usually write off Caught Offside rumours as bollix until it is reported in a few more reputable sources. So fear not Gooners, this one is probably dead in the water.