On the move: Bakari Sagna trains with the France squad this summerArsenal will today complete the £7.5million signing of Auxerre defender Bakary Sagna and then make a £13m bid for Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins - two big-money moves which are set to leave their outspoken French full-back William Gallas eating his words. Gallas used his website to blast Arsenal for a lack of transfer activity, saying: "Around us all the teams are recruiting but what is planned to compensate for the departure of Titi Henry to Barcelona? It is necessary to recruit players of reputation. I'm not here to play for third place.
"Today I'm at Arsenal but I don't know what can occur tomorrow. "Players are questioning the club's future. I will have a discussion with Arsene Wenger and board members to know the objectives this season." But with giant centre-half Sagna, 24, arriving to finalise a five-year deal this morning to join £8m Croatian striker Eduardo Da Silva, £2m Polish goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and £2m Norwegian defender Harvard Nordveit, fans will question Gallas's motives for making an unjustified attack on the club.
Since his controversial transfer from Chelsea which took Ashley Cole to Stamford Bridge, Gallas has failed to light up The Emirates, playing just 21 Premiership games last season, and may fancy another move. Wenger will try to boost his striker line-up by triggering a £13m buy-out clause in 22-year-old Martins' contract. The Nigerian, who scored 17 goals in 46 appearances last season at Newcastle, is expected to tell boss Sam Allardyce he will leave unless they put his earnings in line with Michael Owen on £110,000-a-week.
That would bring Wenger's spending this summer to nearly £35m. Arsenal's spending has been modest in recent years as the club budgeted for their move to the Emirates Stadium last season. Sagna will provide cover across the back four as Premiership managers around the country prepare for the impact of the African Nations Cup early next year.
Arsenal's defence will be left without Kolo Toure and full-back Emmanuel Eboue, who both play for the Ivory Coast. Sagna, a former France Under-21 international who broke into the senior French squad last season, threatened to boycott pre-season training at Auxerre if he was not allowed to move to Arsenal.
The Gunners are also closing in on another young Frenchman, Caen striker Yoan Gouffran, who is set to be signed and then loaned back to Caen for a year.
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