This weekend saw domestic leagues across Europe draw to a close and, with some continental and domestic cup competitions excluded, the focus is now solely on France ahead of this summer’s highly-anticipated European Championships.
It’s, astonishingly, been four years since Spain retained their crown and the football situation has altered massively during that time. Los Rojas are the finest example, after their abysmal World Cup campaign two years ago and the 2012 European Championship finalists, Italy, also experienced an early exit.
Remarkably, the last side that wasn’t Spain to win the Euro’s was Greece way back in 2004 but this summer is set to be fiercely competitive, with the likes of France, World champions Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain and, hopefully England, set to go a long way.
As usual in a summer international tournament, the eyes of Europe’s biggest sides will be looking to snatch the next best thing and tournaments in the past have provided the step-up for some big players, including Wayne Rooney way back in 2004.
With Arsenal needing wholesale changes this summer, the Gunners will have their eyes cast on the competition and we’ve picked out some quality players from Group A that Arsene Wenger should consider moving for.
Hit Wenger below to see FIVE Euro 2016 Group A players Arsenal should consider moving for!
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N’Golo Kante
A name that’s on Arsenal’s wish-list before a ball has even been kicked this summer is N’Golo Kante, who’s enjoyed a meteoric rise after seemingly appearing from nowhere to help propel Leicester City towards a shock Premier League triumph.
Naturally, those performances haven’t gone unnoticed and he’s pushed his way into the home nation’s squad for this summer’s tournament, with France looking to utilise his formidable box-to-box prowess to clinch success on home soil.
Arsenal waved goodbye to veteran trio Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky yesterday so their midfield ranks are depleted and this addition would certainly improve their starting XI.
Granit Xhaka
Another golden midfielder already on Arsenal’s short-list, the Gunners hope to complete a move for Borussia Monchengladbach’s Granit Xhaka before the tournament kicks-off in just under a month and the Swiss international himself wants his future resolved before the tournament.
It’s therefore likely that Arsenal fans will get to watch their newest star on the international stage over the summer, with the 23-year-old set to become the third-most expensive signing in Arsenal history behind only Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.
Again, Arsenal’s depleted ranks will benefit vastly from Xhaka’s addition and it could be one that propels them towards Premier League glory next term.
Raphael Varane
Despite boasting four household international names in their back line and one of the brightest young defenders in world football, Arsenal’s defence has still looked pretty vulnerable and the need for a quality central-defender is clear.
With Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker now in the twilight years of their career, Arsenal’s preference would be to land a younger defender who can solidify the Gunners ranks for the next decade- and Raphael Varane is definitely that man.
Despite being highly-rated, he still struggles for opportunities at Real Madrid as he competes for a starting spot with Pepe and Sergio Ramos, which gives clubs like Arsenal a boost. However, the Gunners would face fierce competition for his signature.
Antoine Griezmann
Another player that Arsenal would have to fight off Europe’s finest to land is highly-rated forward Antoine Griezmann, who has gone from strength-to-strength at Atletico Madrid since joining from Real Sociedad two years ago.
With Karim Benzema absent this summer, Griezmann has the chance to cement himself as first-choice striker for his nation and it could lead to a number of top sides eyeing his signature, although it would be testing to lure him away from Atletico.
Arsenal though could be the perfect club for Griezmann as the support from Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil could increase the forward’s goal tally tenfold, giving the Gunners one of the most threatening attacks in European football.
Josip Drmic
A dark horse on this list for certain, Swiss international Josip Drmic is a striker that Arsenal should definitely consider before they splash the cash on a world-class man, which stats suggest they may not necessarily need.
If Arsenal play to Olivier Giroud’s strengths, the Frenchman would certainly get more goals and, despite the criticisms, his tally of 16 in the Premier League put him as the sixth-highest scorer of the season- and he went 15 games without scoring.
Drmic would provide a back-up option or direct competition to Giroud and the 23-year-old, owned by Borussia Monchengladbach, has shown plenty of promise, despite struggling to find consistency as of yet.
He’s certainly a risk but it’s a striker Arsenal could bring in alongside a bigger name.
