Liverpool have been a busy bee when it comes to the summer transfer window this season, and Brendan Rodgers, after losing out to Arsenal on Alexis Sanchez, seems ready to get one back by beating out competition from the North London club for Atletico Madrid full-back Javier Manquilo.
The Gunners were thought to be closing in on a deal to bring in Manquilo on a loan deal as back-up to Mathieu Debuchy, who completed his move from Newcastle last week.
However, according to a report in Spanish newspaper AS, Manquilo now looks set for a move to Anfield, after Rodgers convinced the highly-rated right-back to join Liverpool.
The report suggests Manquilo was not sure about the playing time he is likely to get at Arsenal, with Debuchy ahead in the pecking order, and therefore decided Liverpool might be the better choice, especially since Glen Johnson's form last season was far from convincing, even if Jon Flanagan, who can play either side, was quite impressive.
Arsenal, though, did seem to cool their interest in Manquilo a while back with latest reports suggesting Wenger has zoned in on Argentina full-back Gino Peruzzi, who is expected to leave Catania after the club were relegated from the Serie A last season.
Peruzzi, who moved from Velez Sarsfield to the Italian club last summer, has done enough to catch the eye of Wenger, with the manager reportedly keen on bringing in the Argentina international.
However, with up and coming defenders in Carl Jenkinson, who will move out on a season-long loan if another right-back comes in, and Hector Bellerin in the squad, it will be interesting to see if Wenger invests in another young full-back.
Meanwhile, Wenger has identified another gem in the Arsenal youth ranks after giving a glowing tribute to 16-year-old Chris Willock, who impressed everyone with his performance in the club's opening preseason game against Boreham Wood on Saturday.
"He's a very young boy and I wanted him to have a run out with the big boys to see how much he has to do," Wenger told Arsenal Player after watching his team pick up a 2-0 win. "But technically and tactically he integrated very well. Of course it's natural that he lacks a bit of power at that age but when he gets that he will be a very interesting player.
"[The game] was a good opportunity to give everyone 45 minutes. After the first two weeks of training, technically it was not as good. We lacked a bit of incisiveness in our runs and passes which is normal because we are not ready and it was very hot.
"It is more to see who can integrate into the first team from the youth team -- who is the closest to the first team. For the first-team players who are used to playing in the Premier League, it was to see how fit they are and how much more work they need."
While Wenger has changed his transfer policy a little in the recent past, bringing in more experienced players, it is players like Willock and Gedion Zelalem who give Arsenal just that little bit extra magic, especially if they make it to the big stage.
