Gunners look set to finally land Carzola

Arsenal are expected to finally confirm the signing of Malaga midfielder Santi Carzola today after he passed a medical and joined the club at their pre-season training camp in Germany.

The 27-year-old Spain international will sign a long-term contract for a fee below £15 million.

Malaga’s financial problems delayed the move, but it now looks set to be confirmed today.

Arsenal are also working on a loan deal for 23-year-old Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin.

They hope to add the Turkey international to a squad already boosted by the arrivals of Germany forward Lukas Podolski and France striker Olivier Giroud from Montpellier.

Whether these signings can persuade want-away captain Robin van Persie to make a spectacular U-turn and extend his current contract when it expires in 2013 is unclear.

Manager Arsene Wenger will hope that the imminent arrival of Carzola coupled with the signings of Podolski and Giroud can persuade the Dutchman to remain at the Emirates.

Perhaps encouragingly, van Persie is with the squad in Germany ahead of Sunday’s friendly against Cologne.

The Carzola and Sahin deals are unrelated to Van Persie, but were accelerated by news that Jack Wilshere will not play before October as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury.

Carzola, who joined Malaga from Villarreal last summer, stands at 5ft 6ins and featured for Spain at the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.

Real Madrid signed Sahin from Borussia Dortmund on a six-year contract in May 2011 but he has struggled to establish himself at the Bernabeu and Real boss Jose Mourinho would let him leave on loan.

Arsenal’s board, meanwhile, have once again come under attack from shareholder Alisher Usmanov.

The billionaire, who is the club’s second-biggest shareholder behind American Stan Kroenke, criticised the board in an open letter last month and has now told Forbes Magazine’s Russian edition that he believes board “politics” are hampering Wenger’s efforts to improve a squad which has not won a trophy since lifting the 2005 FA Cup.

Usmanov said: “We do not consider just qualifying for the Champions League to be the chief ambition of the club, and with all our hearts we support the team and wish them well for the new season.

“Victory is absolutely not ruled out, but the current politics of the club’s management will leave Arsene Wenger and his team with fewer and fewer opportunities in the long run.”

Usmanov insists however that he has no plans to end his association with the club.

“I am a fan and I am not going to sell these shares at any time, since this is the club that I consider the best in the world,” he added.