Arsenal close in on two wingers
Club on the verge of signing Suarez & Carrasco, but Seaman believes Gunners need defenders instead
If Arsenal manager Unai Emery gets his way, he will have two new wingers before the transfer window closes tomorrow morning (Singapore time).
Barcelona's Denis Suarez , 25, arrived in London yesterday for a medical and to put the finishing touches to his loan move to the Emirates.
The deal will cost Arsenal €2.3 million (S$3.5m), tweeted Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, who added that the London side also have an option to buy at around €25m, but it's non-obligatory.
The Gunners are also in talks to sign Belgium's Yannick Carrasco from Chinese side Dalian Yifang, reported Sky Sports.
Sky Sports Italy reported that Emery shifted his attention to Carrasco, 25, after being frustrated in attempts to sign Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan on loan, with a view to a permanent deal in the summer.
Emery, who worked with Suarez at Sevilla, believes his ex-player will provide the ammunition that the Gunners sorely need.
Speaking after Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang both scored in their 2-1 win over Cardiff City yesterday morning (Singapore time), Emery said: "Generally speaking, we need wingers and if you have a player like Denis, I know him because he played for me at Sevilla. His quality is this."
But Emery's move raised the ire of former Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman, who believes they should have reinforced their backline instead.
LIMITED OPTIONS
Defenders Rob Holding, Hector Bellerin, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Laurent Koscielny have been hit by injuries, giving Emery limited options at the back.
Speaking on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast Show, Seaman said: "We don't need midfielders, we need defenders.
"We've got big injuries to quite a few of them already, we need good defenders coming in.
"We're great going forward, but what's happening with the defence? It's just not got any better all season."
Suarez, however, has been backed to succeed at Arsenal by his former Manchester City teammate Joan Roman.
The duo were together in City's reserves team eight years ago, but both found playing time difficult and left the Etihad.
Roman, who is now with Polish side Miedzi Legnica, told Sky Sports: "When we were playing in the reserves... he struggled in the first few games... but, after these few games, he adapted as he is a strong guy."
Suarez could make his Arsenal debut against City on Monday morning (Singapore time).
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