We know Arsène Wenger does not like splashing the cash. And he certainly does not need our advice. But if he wants to dip into the club’s war chest while adding depth and quality to his squad, here are some suggestions . . .

1. Christian Zapata (Udinese/Colombia) Age 21

Imagine a young William Gallas (without the demons). Zapata is big, athletic and quick. He has been a starter at a top-eight Serie A side since the age of 18, which tells you something. He is also versatile and humble and will give Wenger a whole host of defensive solutions if he wants to mix and match his back four.

2. Sergio “Kun” Agüero (Atlético Madrid/Argentina) 19

Despite his age, he is completing his fourth season at the highest level in Argentina and Spain. He will not come cheap – he has been arguably the best player in La Liga this season - but then neither was his predecessor up front for Atlético, Fernando Torres. Think of a young Romario, only more mobile and less frustrating. If Wenger, once again, chooses not to spend, he may still want to get an option on Agüero’s future offspring (he is dating Diego Maradona’s daughter, in what amounts to a genetic fantasy of Agassi/Graf proportions).

3. Gareth Barry (Aston Villa/England) 27

Let’s see. Tall, left-footed, good from set-pieces . . . Barry could be the second coming of Emmanuel Petit, a player Wenger adored. Buying English can be extremely expensive, but, in his case, it may be worthwhile. Arsenal would get a natural leader, a top-tier holding midfield player and someone who can run the midfield.

4. Marek Hamsyk (Napoli/Slovakia) 20

Could be the more powerful, slightly slower version of Alexander Hleb, with the difference that Hamsyk scores plenty of goals. A hard-working, box-to-box dynamo who loves to get into the penalty area and, when needed, can put in a crunching tackle.

5. Luka Modric (Dynamo Zagreb/Croatia) 22

He is the most hyped thing to come out of Eastern Europe since Tatu did their faux-lesbian shtick five years ago. But, yes, by all accounts, Modric is that good: radar-like precision passing, tactical sense, maturity beyond his years and goals. The downside? Well, he is expensive. And he is rather similar to Cesc Fàbregas, which could either present a tactical conundrum à la Gerrard-Lampard or could open the door to yet another Arsenal star swapping North London for Catalonia (just like Petit, Marc Overmars and Thierry Henry).