Arsenal to push for David Villa

When Arsenal were first linked with David Villa, it seemed unlikely at best. When Barcelona released a statement claiming Villa was not for sale, 'not going to happen' was plastered all over it in big, flashing, red letters. But according to The Sun, the Gunners are preparing a £10 million bid despite the aforementioned statement issued by Barcelona.

This is surprising on a number of fronts. For one, it seems that Wenger will take any excuse not to splash the cash, and after being told 'no' very explicitly, one would have been forgiven for thinking Wenger's reaction would be to pocket his wallet and say 'thank you very much'.

Additionally, Villa is no spring chicken, and considering the bulk of Wenger's signings are under the age of 25, it seems an odd choice for a man who values young talent. However, his last 'aging' Spanish signing happened to be Mikel Arteta, who is now invaluable to the side (not to mention 28-year-old Cazorla, who now shoulders at least half Arsenal's creative burden), so Wenger can't be too far off something good. Especially when the 31-year-old forward happens to be Spain's all-time leading goal scorer, smashing the legendary Raul's record of 44 international goals with 53 of his own. Good credential to have, really.

However, all considered, it is very likely that Wenger will not move for the Spaniard, as much as Arsenal fans would like him to do so (and much to the satisfaction of Barcelona). Some will cry ageism, others - thriftiness. Considering the club's current transfer record is around £17 million, 'some' may well be on to a winner here.

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