Arsenal Suffer Double Transfer Blow as Options Continue to Dwindle

Arsenal's plight in the summer transfer window has deepened after The Gunners were warned off moves for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba and Valencia goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.

Arsene Wenger is still to make a significant summer signing and after allowing several peripheral first-team players to leave the club injuries and suspensions picked up in the Premier League opening day defeat to Aston Villa has heightened his need for new additions.

Understood to have informed agents of their need for a holding midfield player, Arsenal are reportedly interested in Frenchman Pogba, who joined the Bianconeri during the summer transfer window in 2012 from Manchester United.

Pogba enjoyed a fruitful first-campaign with Juve scoring five goals in 36 appearances as he played a crucial role in the club claiming the Serie A title.

The 20 year old originally left the Premier League after being given limited opportunities by Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford but his showings last term suggest he could have excelled in English football.

But any hopes Arsenal had of landing Pogba have been dashed after Juventus director general Giuseppe Marotta claimed the north Londoners have no chance of signing the midfielder.

"Forget about Pogba," Marotta told Tuttosport. "We do not have the slightest intention of listening to any offer which may arrive for our midfielder."

With Mikel Arteta absent for six weeks with a thigh tear and Abou Diaby out until the New Year with knee ligament damage, Arsenal are short in midfield with only Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere equipped to occupy the role.

Another area of the first team requiring much surgery is in goal, a position which Wenger opted to rotate for much of last campaign, with Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Fabianski, Vito Mannone and Damien Martinez all earning first-team opportunities last season.

Mannone has since departed to Sunderland, leaving Wenger with three goalkeepers in the new season, with Szcesny starting as the number one having started against Aston Villa on the opening weekend.

Arsenal had been linked with an ambitious bid for Real Madrid's Iker Casillas as well as Valencia stopper Vicente Guaita.

Last season, managers Mauricio Pellegrino and Ernesto Valverde had a tendency to rotate both Guaita and Diego Alves throughout the season regardless of the enormity of the upcoming games.

New boss Miroslav Dukic overlooked Guaita for the opening La Liga fixture against Malaga, during which Alves kept a clean-sheet in a 1-0 win. However president Amadeo Salva has hinted towards regular opportunites this season by claiming the 'keeper is not for sale.

"Guaita is a world class keeper and Valencia has no need to sell. To allow him to go, we would have to study the price," he told Spanish newspaper Las Provincas.

"Currently the value is 30 million euros (£25million). At Valencia, what you want is to continue, although his agents have reported that if you are a substitute, you had better find a way out.

"This last point does not sit well with the board. Players can not fall into that temptation to go after every game with this type of attitude.

"If you do not play every week, you have to respect Valencia more."