£200M SPREE FOR WENGER
FROM BACK PAGE summer plans and could end up cashing in on Mesut Ozil, who has stalled on a £280,000-a-week contract offer.
Jack Wilshere, a £20m target for West Ham, could also go, as might Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is interesting Liverpool and the two Manchester clubs.
Olivier Giroud, David Ospina, Lucas Perez, and a raft of squad players could all leave to free up cash, which would be on top of around £100m already set aside.
Alexis Sanchez has been a target for Chelsea, Paris SaintGermain and Juventus, but there is a feeling he will give it one more year at the Emirates.
Lyon’s Alexandre Lacazette is top of Arsenal’s striker targets, while Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney and their forward Moussa Dembele are also on the Gunners’ radar.
Arsenal have joined the growing list of admirers of Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha, while Sunderland keeper Jordan Pickford and Stoke’s Jack Butland are also possible targets.
The club’s backroom staff could well get a shake up with Ajax’s Marc Overmars seen as a possible director of football, with Borussia Dortmund’s Michael Zorc also in the frame. EXECUTIVE punters are still buying platinum membership tickets at Arsenal – despite the uncertainty over Arsene Wenger.
Club officials have told platinum members they have sold more of the £6,000 tickets than at the same stage last season.
Platinum membership at the Emirates (below) starts at just under £3,000 but there are upgrades available that include dining packages.
Season-ticket renewals are expected to be issued soon and must be taken up by June. But there is still a long waiting list and whether Wenger stays or goes it is likely they will sell out the allocated season tickets in the 60,000-seater stadium.
Some executive fans have asked for clarity on Wenger’s position – only to be told an TOTTENHAM old-boy Andros Townsend twisted the knife after Crystal Palace delivered a major blow to Arsenal’s top-four hopes.
Townsend backed former club Spurs’ bid to heap more misery on their rivals by finishing above them for the first time since 1995.
And the winger savoured the part he played in the Gunners’ downfall after scoring in Palace’s 3-0 rout (celebrating with Wilfried Zaha, right). He said: “I announcement will be made in due course. It is believed nothing will be confirmed until after the final game of the season when they host Everton, although the Gunners also have to re-arrange the home game with Sunderland which has been postponed because of the FA Cup semi-final.
Any more toxic meltdowns on top of disappointments, such as defeat in the Cup to Manchester City and in the derby at Spurs, could see the mood get even worse.
Arsenal, who also have to re-arrange the game at Southampton, know they could end up with the last two home matches of the season with nothing to play for in a poisonous atmosphere. hope Tottenham finish above Arsenal. It looked that way last season and then it didn’t happen. “Being a Tottenham boy, to score against Arsenal is an incredible feeling, but the three points were the important thing. I’m focusing on Palace and hoping we survive.” The Eagles are now six points clear of the drop zone and he added: “The three points were massive, especially with the run-in we have got. “We just have to follow it up on Saturday now against Leicester.”