Arsene Wenger has spoken uncharacteristically about Edinson Cavani yet again, dropping a major hint that Arsenal have revived their interest in the Paris St Germain striker and could make an approach for him when the transfer window opens.
Cavani to Arsenal is one those rumours which refuse to go away. The Uruguay international was linked to the north London club even before he made the big-money move from Napoli to PSG last year. The speculations returned this summer as well, especially with the forward repeatedly stating that he is not happy to be pushed wide in Laurent Blanc's 4-3-3 system, which has Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the line.
But in the end, Cavani remained at PSG when the summer transfer window closed, with Ibrahimovic on the treatment table. Meanwhile, Wenger brought in Danny Welbeck from rivals Manchester United to fill Olivier Giroud's shoes, with the French striker remaining sidelined at least till the turn of the year with a foot injury.
However, Cavani's short stay in the spotlight as PSG's no.9 came to an end with Ibrahimovic returning from injury earlier this month. The 28-year-old has been pushed wide yet again, and rumours regarding the player being unhappy in Paris returned. And now, Wenger has added some more fuel to the fire, by speaking out about the prolific hitman.
"I like this player a lot, I like his spirit a lot, but I feel like he is playing with his hand on the brakes a bit. I have the impression that he is not expressing himself entirely. It is true that at the same time, Ibrahimovic has taken an important place in this PSG team by all accounts, there is little space for another striker around him," Wenger told French TV station TF1 on Sunday.
Wenger has been an ardent admirer of Cavani for years now, and this is not the first time that the French tactician has admitted an interest in the Uruguayan.
"I like him as a player," Wenger said about Cavani back in January 2013. "Will he cost a lot of money? That's for sure. Nobody would deny that. Our banker lives just next to me at the moment and he is ready if we find the right player. We can spend the money that we have decided to spend if it is for a player we think gives us a plus."
Publically admitting interest in landing a player is a characteristic one does not usually associate with Wenger. So Wenger's new comments on Cavani might raise the hopes of quite a few Arsenal fans.
However, with Welbeck brought in this summer, Giroud set to return by February, and with high expectations on youngsters Yaya Sanogo, Benik Afobe and Chuba Akpom, it is yet to be seen if Wenger will make a big-money move for Cavani, even if he is available.
