Suarez is the sort player that Arsenal now must target

Barcelona playmaker Denis Suarez has been left out of the squad to face Sevilla in the Copa del Rey this evening. According to Sky Sports, the former Villarreal star is a transfer target of Arsenal, so maybe a deal is close.

Any Arsenal move for Suarez is only likely to be a loan deal for now. Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has recently admitted that the out-of-favour midfielder could leave in the January transfer window.

Arsenal hierarchy tightening the purse

It seems that when everybody thought that Arsenal were not spending much under Arsene Wenger, they were wrong as the clubs hierarchy seem to have tightened the purse strings even further of late.

The appointment of Sven Mislintat in November 2017 was a sign that the Gunners were looking at picking up bargains in the transfer market, rather than signing proven talent. This is unlikely to surprise many associated with Arsenal, though.

Mislintat is set to leave in February, reportedly after disagreeing with Arsenal boss Unai Emery over the signing of Suarez from Barcelona. Reports suggest that Mislintat was unhappy at the amount of input that Emery had in transfers.

Arsenal have to be clever in the transfer market

If Arsenal are not going to sign top talent, then they have to be clever in the transfer market. The Gunners want a return to the top-four of the Premier League. It will be tough if they are not going to spend large amounts of money, though.

What they have to do is spot players who are just below the top level and attempt to develop them into better players. Suarez falls into that category. He obviously has talent, but at this moment in time, he is not good enough for Barcelona.

He would get in many other top teams around the world. However, competition for places at Barcelona can be brutal. As I have said previously about the likes of Lucas Digne and Andre Gomes, there is no shame in not making it at the Catalan giants.

Sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward and maybe that is what Suarez needs in his career. He needs regular first-team football to prove his worth, and may just get that in north London.

With Aaron Ramsey leaving for Juventus in the summer, Suarez is for me a very good replacement, who is unlikely to cost the earth by Premier League standards. He is certainly the sort of player Arsenal has to pursue if they are going to stick to working with a relatively small transfer kitty.

The Gunners have to gamble on players who have not quite made the standard at big clubs because the hierarchy are more interested in lining their pockets than the team being successful. Sad but true.

Arsenal nowhere near title contenders

I remember a couple of years ago Arsenal were considered genuine title contenders. However, the Gunners were always a few players short of actually winning the Premier League title.

Now they are probably more like nine or ten players away from winning the title. Not many of the current Arsenal team would get in a top team like Liverpool or Manchester City. Arsenal fans have no choice but to be happy to challenge for the top-four.

The north London team are currently odds of 7/2 to finish in the Champions League spots. With just a two-point gap between the fifth place Gunners and fourth place Chelsea, Unai Emery’s side have a real chance of a return to the Champions League in the near future.

Bringing in some new additions, even on loan, in January can only help the Gunners in their quest for fourth place. The potential signing of Suarez may just be a sign of things to come for Arsenal in the transfer market.

Will Denis Suarez be a good signing for Arsenal?