Arsenal Chase Suarez Again & Champions League Hopes

Here we go again! Luis Suarez is quickly becoming the new Gourcuff when it comes to transfer links to Arsenal. Rumours will persist even 6 months after Suarez joined Barcelona that Arsenal are still after him.

The Sun report that the recent sacking of sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta has thrown Suarez's future into doubt and Arsenal are looking to swoop in and make a deal. It seems highly unlikely that Suarez would be looking for a move when he is playing his fair share of games and admitted to being thankful he didn't push through a move to Arsenal in 2013 because it gave him the opportunity to move to Barcelona.

An Arsenal attack with Suarez and Alexis in it, possibly being fed by Özil, would have a case for being the best Arsenal attack in history. But it's fantasy manager stuff.

Barcelona are second favourites to win the Champions League this season and La Liga according to TonyBet football betting odds and boast three players in the top 10 most likely candidates to finish as Champions League highest scorer. Arsenal are 6th favourites at 24/1 to win the Champions League with TonyBet which is a great price and I'll get to Arsenal's chances in a few moments.

With so much to play for I can't see Barcelona wanting to do a deal and with a transfer embargo they have limited options to replace the player. Arsenal tried and failed to get Suarez once and it's not like Wenger to keep going back for a player he's been rebuffed by. And there's how much he would cost to consider even if Barcelona were looking to sell and Arsenal were looking to buy.

Suarez cost the Catalan club a lot of money and they'll want to recoup as much as that as possible - or least his paper value as sales were made to fund his purchase. One of the players sold to fund his purchase was Alexis Sanchez who is enjoying life in an Arsenal shirt and playing out of his skin for the Gunners. Many have remarked that he offers what Suarez offers but without the questionable mentality and penchant for petulance.

Alexis has inspired an Arsenal side into keeping touch with the top four and progressing through the FA Cup and Champions League rounds despite huge injury issues. With players coming back to fitness and new recruits waiting for a squad place Arsenal are in quite a healthy position. Top four football is almost a guarantee because of their experience of doing so year on year but also because the squad is coming back to as close as full strength as possible at just the right time.

Arsenal's next 7 Premier League games are in London and after the North London Derby at White Hart Lane on 7th February they have no 'big' away games in the league until United in May by which time the top four should be pretty clear. 

Monaco won't be pushovers but they are one of the kindest draws Arsenal could have received. Chelsea and Manchester City will either knock out one of the top 8 favourites or be knocked out themselves which means at least two of the quarter-finalists will be teams, on paper and according to the odds, who weren't expected to be there. It is conceivable that Arsenal could benefit from another kind draw or at least face an opponent they have experience against.

Porto in 2004 had to get past United and of course they were already an outside bet team so nothing should be taken away from them at all but all of the so-called 'big' opposition had fell on someone else's sword by the time they reached the final.

You can only beat the teams put in front of you and Arsenal's increasing squad size with returnees benefitting from plenty of time between now and the quarter-finals should they get past Monaco to get some form will make Arsenal as formidable as ever. On our day we can beat anyone and in our run to the 2006 final we had to take it one tie at a time getting past Real Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal before falling to Barcelona in the final.

If Arsenal can get to the quarter-finals they have a great chance of getting to the final and possibly winning it. The odds suggest that they won't but on this occasion I think the odds are a bit too long and some bet savvy Gooners willing to take a risky punt could well see themselves upsetting in the bookies in May.

I'm going to put a stick in the ground and predict that Arsenal will make the semi-finals at least. What happens after that I can't say. And Arsenal will do it with Alexis because we don't need a Suarez.

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