They’re free, but are they worth it?

Arsenal’s budget is going to be a problem this summer. More accurately, their lack of budget is going to be a problem. One way to solve that problem, of course, is to get guys in on free transfers. The Stephan Lichtsteiner Experience was terrible, and Denis Suarez never got a chance to make his case, but that shouldn’t put Arsenal off looking at players who might not cost much but might still be able to help shore up the squad.

In that vein, there’s news today that Daniel Sturridge and Alberto Moreno are both being allowed to leave Liverpool when their contracts expire on the 30th. While Sturridge, who at 29 has played for Manchester City, Chelsea, Bolton and West Brom (the latter two on loan), is the bigger name, Moreno is the more intriguing piece in my mind.

Sturridge, after all, is a striker, and at least as of now Arsenal are pretty set up there. If Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is tempted to go somewhere else, I’d say sure, give Sturridge a shot, but at his current contract level (£120K a week), he’d be an expensive piece of bench depth, which is something Arsenal need to avoid.

As for Moreno, there’s a lot of upside there. First of all, he’s a left back, which is a position of need for Arsenal right now. Second of all, he’s 26, which means that if he comes to London and works out, the club has solved a problem in the short and medium terms, all for the fantastic transfer fee of £0. Moreno’s expiring contract is at a relatively bargain-basementy £40K. For me, he’s easily worth a gamble at £40, or even 50 if he wants a raise.

There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of downside to taking a chance on the likes of Alberto Moreno

Like it or not, this is the kind of shopping Arsenal need to do if they want to maximize their transfer budget this summer. What say you? Yes to both, to one or the other, or no?