DONE DEAL: Arsenal reach full agreement as medical is booked for £34m veteran premier player to seal move
Arsenal have lost some momentum in the Premier League and Mikel Arteta needs to find the ingredients again to give the Gunners the momentum needed to continue in the second half of the season.
The gap between them in fourth place and Liverpool at the top is just five points, and the two English heavyweights will face each other again at the Emirates Stadium in a fortnight.
This gives Arsenal a good chance of getting back into the title race, although they are far from out of it at the moment.
But if one or two minor mistakes occur, five points can quickly become eight or more, and then everything becomes a little more difficult.
So the Spaniard seems to want to simplify his team to give it the best chance of breaking a two-decade long title drought.
According to the Daily Mail, talks are underway between north London and Turkish giants Besiktas to bring out-of-form defender Cedric Soares to the Super Lig.
According to WhoScored, the 32-year-old Portuguese has only played 65 minutes in two appearances this season.
The chance to become a big player elsewhere will certainly attract him, and the wage savings could allow Arsenal to chase another target themselves.
