Is Arshavin a suitable replacement for Adebayor?

It's always hard to know what to believe in the newspapers. The media have to protect their contacts, and when agents speak, it's usually with an agenda of some sort in mind, such as getting their client a better deal with their current employer or prompting bids from more attractive clubs.

That said, I wonder if Arsene Wenger really IS trying to sign Andrei Arshavin. A player unknown to most of Europe a year ago, thanks to his UEFA Cup performances and a couple of games at Euro2008, he is one of the most sought after players in the current transfer market.

Wenger has already questioned the Russian's ability to play in the rigours of the Premiership and has repeatedly stated in the past that he is not keen on signing players on the basis of a single tournament. But perhaps he sees something in Arshavin, a touch of the Dennis Bergkamps, that has inspired him to move.

Arshavin did claim t want to move to Barcelona and no one else, but perhaps their interest has not materialised. Whether his agent is telling the truth when he says: "Andrei is desperate to join Arsenal. His style of play would suit them perfectly," remains to be seen.

It seems that Adebayor has burnt his bridges with the club, if Vincenzo Morabito is to be believed. If the Togolese's asking price really has dropped to almost half the original £32m, it seems Wenger has had enough of his antics. Remember, this is the player who has fallen out with managers in the past, including his international coach.

Morabito said: “We are going towards more reasonable figures that are within Milan’s reach, as they had placed a ceiling on the bid they were willing to make. It is much, much lower than the £32m initially requested. In fact, it’s a little bit more than half that figure.

"It is still below the asking price of Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba, but they are a little older. We are working to facilitate the negotiations. The signs are very positive.”

My feeling is that Arshavin is too much of a deep-lying forward in the mould of Robin Van Persie, and even Eduardo to a certain extent. Eto'o, Huntelaar, and even, God forbid, Santa Cruz, offer far more of a line-leading cutting edge that will give us some variety to our attacks next season. Before Adebayor arrived, we had a tendency to be all too predictable, after all.

The squad is coming together now, and I expect half a dozen comings and goings before the end of August. Wouldn't it be nice to get it all sorted befre West Brom on August 16?