Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is ready to snap up Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh on a free transfer this summer after deciding to stick with his current forward options for the remaining four months of the season. Despite long term injuries during the campaign to Arsenal’s key strikers the Gunners are the top scorers in the Premier League with 59 goals and manager Arsene Wenger now has the returning Nicklas Bendtner and Theo Walcott as forward options.
Wenger has tracked Chamakh for the last 18 months but was unwilling to bend to the price tag Bordeaux President Jean-Louis Triaud requested for the talented Moroccan, particularly as Chamakh is out of contract in the summer.
Reports earlier in this month suggested that Rafael Benitez had agreed a £25 million package to snap up the highly rated forward with Chamakh offered an apparent £12 million signing on fee to move to Anfield at the end of the season. Nevertheless, with Liverpool playing down the reports and the club struggling financially, it appears that Arsene Wenger is now ready to snap up the player for nothing this summer.
Speaking in the aftermath of his side’s latest Ligue 1 win against Grenoble, the highly-rated attacker spoke about his future:
“I will not extend [my Bordeaux deal].
“I’ll know more this weekend when I’ve talked to my advisors. I believe things must be said quickly. I believe also that the club must be set.”
Chamakh has been an ever-present in Bordeaux’s league fixtures to date notching seven goals as Laurent Blanc's men maintain their lead at the top of the table. He struck 13 times in total last season as he helped les Girondins to their first league title in a decade.
However, as Nicklas Bendtner is now fit Wenger looks set to stick with what he has got for the remaining four months of the season.
He said: "Manchester United got Smalling in the end. I am sorry because we were very close to getting him and we were on the case very early.
"I wish the player well. At the end of the day it is important he has a good career. In both clubs he has a good chance to make a great career. The most important thing is he does that.
"It is not impossible (to sign a player before the transfer window shuts), but at the moment it is unlikely."
The Danish front man revealed his ambition this week to become the number 1 forward at Arsenal. Bendtner said:
"We have a lot of big games coming up. I've only trained one time with the team and played half an hour at Villa and everything feels okay," he said.
"We will see how I am during the week and hopefully things will keep progressing so I will be 100 per cent when the weekend comes.
"If Eduardo is out, am I ready to come in? I wouldn't be here if I was wasn't ready. If I play Sunday, I will be ready as well and Manchester United is the sort of big game you'd love to come back into.
"Is this a chance to become the number one striker? That is my plan. Is it achievable? Of course.
"Why am I so confident? It is simple. I am a good player. I've always had that belief. People ask me every time we speak 'why are you like that?' and that's just the way it is.
"If I didn't think I could do it, I wouldn't be standing here telling you I could!"
Bendtner admitted: "These games coming up will have a big bearing on the title. We have fought to get ourselves into a good position.
"We have three big matches, and a few more which are quite important, and we need to get as many points as we can from those.
"We have done really well. We have got ourselves into a great position now where we are fighting at the top of the league.
"We know why we have got here and we are capable of winning every game and winning the championship and that is why we are focused."