Arsenal in late swoop for Juventus striker after Osvaldo switch
Published:Southampton bad boy Dani Osvaldo’s loan move to Juventus may have cleared the way for Old Lady striker Fabio Quagliarella to make a last-minute move to the Premier League, with Arsenal linked with an 11th-hour swoop for the 25-cap Italy man.
The north Londoners are yet to seal a deal for Spartak Moscow’s Kim Kallstrom, although the 31-year-old’s loan move is expected to go through before the window closes, but initial surprise at the club’s decision to bring in another midfielder abated following news that Aaron Ramsey’s injury is likely to keep the Welshman out for six weeks.
It is no secret that Arsenal have been working on bringing in a striker during this transfer window, with Quagliarella’s Bianconeri teammate Mirko Vucinic and Fulham’s Dimitar Berbatov mentioned as potential back-ups for first-choice forward Olivier Giroud.
Aston Villa were strongly linked with the former Udinese and Napoli man as January drew to a close, but that pursuit seems to have come to nought and with the striking ranks at the Juventus Stadium now fit to burst after Osvaldo’s arrival from the Saints, Wenger could pounce for Quagliarella.
The veteran French gaffer had hoped to land Schalke attacking-midfielder Julian Draxler, but that move now looks likely to be shelved until the summer, when Chelsea and both Manchester clubs are thought to be willing to compete with Arsenal for the 20-year-old’s signature.
Wenger’s side should have enough in their armoury to see off Crystal Palace at the Emirates, with the Gunners priced up at 4/6 to overcome a one-goal handicap and win.
Tony Pulis’ Eagles have been in fine fettle of late, winning two of their last three Premier League matches to nil, but both of those were at Selhurst Park against much inferior opposition, namely Stoke and Hull.
Arsenal have won eight of the last 10 games in all competitions on their own patch, playing out draws in the other two against Everton and Chelsea and have kept clean sheets in seven of their 11 home league matches this term.
Despite their good form, Palace have scored just three goals in their last four outings, so another Arsenal win to nil looks good value here at 4/5.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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