Over the years Arsenal have been linked to many players and, naturally, not all of them have ended up plying their trade in North London.
With the quick progression of life in football, many targets seem to appear for one summer and then never rise again. In some cases, the same player will be regularly linked with Arsenal without any breakthrough.
We decided to take a look at former Arsenal targets, who were heavily linked with a move to the Emirates, but are now often disregarded. Jonathan Kaney has had his pick of five particular players, who he feels Arsenal should revive interest in.
Hit the navigation buttons to see FIVE former targets Arsenal should revise interest in!
William Carvalho
The highly-rated 23-year-old defensive midfielder looked destined to arrive at the Emirates in the summer until a bad injury ruled him out as one of our targets.
He signed a new deal at Sporting shortly after his injury and after being perhaps our number one target, became a forgotten man as we chased other options during his spell on the side-lines.
With him recovering well and us missing out on the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin and Arturo Vidal in the summer, it’s definitely worth reigniting our interest in him at the end of the season.
Gonzalo Higuain
All the talk of Edinson Cavani and Karim Benzema saw long rumoured transfer target Gonzalo Higuain fall off the radar for us over the past year.
The Argentinian had a bad spell at the end of last term after finding goals hard to come by and missing the decisive spot kick in the Copa America final. However, he is back to best for Napoli, brimming with the confidence he showed in Madrid and banging the goals in again.
I’ve always had my doubts about his ability, but its clear Arsene sees something in him. With Chelsea rumoured to want him to replace Diego Costa, this window is the time to bid for him if Arsene does want him.
Romelu Lukaku
The Gunners were heavily linked with a move for Lukaku before he signed for Everton permanently at the start of last season. He would cost around £50m to sign now, but at just 23 years old, he is already a prolific and highly experienced Premier League striker and is destined to be this generation’s Drogba.
The powerful Belgian has a drive and ambition to be the best in the world and a step up to us to learn under Arsene Wenger could well bring the best out of him. PSG have been linked with a £50m move for him, but it would be a great signing for us if Arsene could get in there first.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Despite being 34, Zlatan is one of the best players in the world and has picked up silverware in every country he’s played.
He’s yet to ply his trade in England, but Arsenal would be perfect for him if he did decide he wanted an English challenge before he retires.
He’s been linked with us for years, but has gone off the radar recently with all the Benzema and Cavani talk. Despite his age, he is exactly the kind of striker we are missing and with the creative players we have to supply him, signing him could be a masterstroke.
Alexandre Lacazette
Last summer the Frenchman was at the centre of a transfer battle between every top club in Europe after a season in France that looked to be the making of a superstar.
Not only was he banging in plenty of goals, but his style of play and confidence on the pitch set him apart from most of the striking prospects in Europe and saw him branded the next Thierry Henry.
Unfortunately for him, he signed a new deal at Lyon and was the subject of some very public criticism from the Lyon president who claimed he had held the club to ransom. Poor form this term saw him dumped from Dider Deschamps France squad, but he answered that snub with a hattrick for Lyon’s in their 3-1 win over St Etienne at the weekend.
He still has all the makings of a sublime striker and under Wenger he could well rediscover his form. He is definitely another one to reignite our interest in and potentially get for cheaper than when he was at his peak last year.