Arsenal transfer news: Santi Cazorla replacement being sought by Arsene Wenger as Spaniard’s injury woes drag on
Cazorla has been the oil in the Arsenal engine whenever he has played, but his injury lay-offs are becoming a similar story to that of Tomas Rosicky
SANTI CAZORLA'S injury nightmare is forcing Arsenal to look for a replacement as they fear he could be out for the rest of the season.
Arsene Wenger has said that the Spaniard could be out for the next 10 weeks which will worry Gunners fans no end, given Cazorla's importance to the side.
According to Spanish journalist Kike Marin Arsenal will feel the need to dip in to the transfer market.
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Its no coincidence that Arsenal have had a dip in form since Cazorla has been out, the 32 year old has the ability to dictate the play, most of the time he speeds it up with quickfire passing that allows the rest of his team mates to find gaps to exploit their opponents.
The question is now who will Arsenal get to replace Cazorla?
One name that cant be ignored is West Ham rebel Dimitri Payet and Arsenal are just the club the Frenchman would love to play for.
Although he currently is nowhere near the form that wowed the Premier League last season, a big move to Arsenal would surely spur on the play-maker to find his best form.
West Ham will be very reluctant to sell to a Premier League rival, but if Arsenal were to test their resolve with a £25-£30m bid it would seem silly for them to keep a player that clearly does not want to be at the London Stadium.
Payet could also give the Gunners a much needed lift, similar to the one Mesut Ozil gave the sqaud when he signed on the summer deadline day of 2013 from Real Madrid for a club record £42m.
Such a lift might see Arsenal regain some footing in the title race and a sqaud boasting of Alexis Sanchez, Ozil and Payet would send shivers down the spines of any team facing Wenger's men.
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However due to Cazorla's spell on the sidelines, many Arsenal supporters have been critical of Wenger's decision to allow Jack Wilshere's loan move to Bournemouth, without a recall clause included in the deal.
Given Arsenal's track record of injuries, it seemed wise to keep Wilshere, especially with the amount of games in a campaign across four competitions.
Wilshere has been fantastic for Bournemouth in what has been an injury free season so far and the 25 year old is the ideal player to replace Cazorla in the Arsenal midfield.
No contract extension has been agreed with the England international which also has Arsenal fans sitting uncomfortably and with Wilshere seven years younger than Cazorla, it seems strange that Wenger has not wanted to secure his future as quickly as possible.
Ozil has stated that part of the reason why he has not signed his new contract is because he wants assurances of Wenger's future at the club.
Arsenal may find it difficult to buy top quality players all the time Wenger has not confirmed his plans whether to stay on at the club past his current deal, which expires in June.
Although Wenger has not won the title since 2004 and has never won the Champions League, he still manages to attract some of the best players in the game.
In the mean time though Arsenal need to decide what they are going to do without Cazorla, stick or twist? All the time they stick there will be a feeling what might have been, had Wilshere not been sent out on loan, if they twist then it could spell the end of Wilshere's and Cazorla's time with the club.