Arsenal Transfer News: Latest on Lukas Podolski, Marcelo Brozovic, More

Plenty of transfer news concerning Arsenal emerged on Monday, just two days after the Gunners needed some late Danny Welbeck heroics to draw Hull City 2-2 in Week 8 of the Premier League season.

Lukas Podolski once again endeared himself to the fans, Croatia international Marcelo Brozovic emerged as a January target and AS Roma's Kostas Manolas revealed he snubbed both the Gunners and Juventus to join the Giallorrosi.

Let's dig in.

Lukas Podolski Doesn't Take Kindly to Tottenham Rumours

The north London rivalry is alive and well it seems. After BBC Sport published a rumour linking the Germany international with a £10 million move to Tottenham Hotspur, Podolski took to Twitter to debunk the story:

BBC Sport's article linked to an article written by Caught Offside's Christian Bailey, who claimed Spurs were open to the idea of a transfer but didn't mention whether or not Podolski felt the same way.

The 29-year-old clearly has no interest in a move to the Gunners' bitter rivals, and social media loved the way he handled the situation. Who Ate All The Pies chimed in:

The forward may not be a regular starter for Arsenal (just three Premier League appearances off the bench, via WhoScored) and transfer speculation will no doubt continue well into the January window.

But Podolski remains a true Gunner and one of the more popular players at the club. His put-down of the rumours linking him to Spurs will only help his popularity, both inside the dressing room and with the fans.

Marcelo Brozovic Closing in on Arsenal Move?

The Daily Star's Chisanga Malata claims Arsene Wenger has opened talks with Dinamo Zagreb over a January deal for Brozovic, a 21-year-old midfielder who has become a regular in Croatia's star-studded central area in the past year.

The player's agent, Miroslav Bianic, confirmed Arsenal have shown a keen interest in his client, saying: "Croatia plays USA in November in London and during our stay there we will hold meetings and negotiate with several English teams. Yes, I can confirm Arsenal are one of them."

The Dinamo star is somewhat undersized to be a physical box-to-box midfielder but shows excellent passing instincts and great finishing ability. His non-stop engine makes him a great fit next to Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, allowing the pair to contribute further up the pitch.

Arsenal need a midfielder capable of shielding the defence and serving as a passing outlet, and Brozovic certainly fits the profile of a January signing who both addresses a need and wouldn't cost the club too much.

His ceiling isn't as high as fans would maybe like, however, and the young midfielder has always played his best football in a more advanced role, not as a holding midfielder. As a short-term option, Brozovic makes sense, but the Gunners need a long-term solution and the 21-year-old doesn't appear to fit the mould.

Kostas Manolas Reveals Arsenal Snub

AS Roma centre-back Manolas became the latest star signing who felt the need to tell the world how many clubs he turned down, as he revealed to Il Tempo (h/t beIN Sports) Juventus and Arsenal were also after his signature:

"It's true, Juventus sought me out after the World Cup. I could also have ended up at Arsenal. But I never went to London as it was reported. Now for me there is only Roma. I'm very happy to have come here."

The Greek defender moved from Olympiakos to Roma after an impressive 2013-14 campaign, and he has enjoyed a solid start to the new season, with the notable exception of this incident with Juventus' Alvaro Morata:

The Gunners needed some added defensive depth coming into the season and there's little doubt the 23-year-old would have been an excellent signing in light of injuries to Laurent Koscielny and Mathieu Debuchy.

With that said, this growing trend of players pointing out exactly which clubs they snubbed when they moved is puzzling. Other than boosting one's vanity and adding to resentment between squads, it serves no purpose.

Fuelling the rivalry with Juventus makes sense, but if Arsene Wenger truly made a play for Manolas' signature, he already knows he failed. There's no need to bring it up again.

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