Football transfer rumours: Arsenal to sign Joseph Yobo and Diego Lugano?

At home on a well deserved day off on Wednesday, we had just switched on the telly to find out what the weather was doing later on when up popped our Jim resplendent in the full yellow tie and midnight blue suit regalia that has become synonymous with pure excitement. For a moment, the Mill rubbed its eyes and did a double take, the Guardian reports. After the drama of the return of the Champions League on Tuesday night that saw Arsenal's true deficiencies laid bare against Jürgen Klopp's stylish Borussia Dortmund, what was our leader doing looking serious behind a desk with sidekick Natalie Sawyer all of a sudden? Thankfully it turns out he was just advertising for a betting company that shall remain nameless (although funnily enough it sounds very similar to his current employers). But get this: the new ad doesn't just mean we now have the chance to see his beaming face every day. Jim and Natalie would also like us to become part of an exclusive club, which - according to the blurb - "gives customers the chance to keep track of all offers at any given time, ranging from the money back promotions to competitions to win tickets to watch their team". We are honoured. What's more, there's also the chance to win a £250,000 transfer fund for the club you support, although only if they happen to play in the Football League. The Mill remembers when Colin Kazim-Richards (now known as Colin Kazım, Kazım or just simply Kazım Kazım according to Wikipedia) became the first player bought under a similar scheme sponsored by a certain soft drink and was subsequently christened with said company's name. We're not sure if the same thing is going to catch on this time but perhaps Jim could arrange for whichever player is eventually snapped up to have a guest slot alongside him on deadline day in January? Or maybe the lucky club should just sign Jim instead and save the money for an end of season beano to Margate? We digress. This is meant to be a column to round up all today's rumours and we haven't even written one yet. After their debacle in Dortmund, you'll not be surprised to learn it's all about Arsenal this morning. Having signed Danny Welbeck on deadline day despite not really wanting to, it appears Arsène Wenger has finally woken up to the fact that he has no defensive cover in his squad and is considering moves for free agents Joseph Yobo and Diego Lugano. Apparently former favourite Igors Stepanovs is also on the radar if he can be persuaded to leave his role as coach of Latvia's Under-17s side but Oleg Luzhny has already said no. Now far be it from the Mill to tell a manager as experienced as Wenger what to do but this does seem like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. After allowing Thomas Vermaelen to join Barcelona on 9 August, Arsenal had plenty of time to secure a replacement but failed to do so. Wenger's choice of captains over the past few seasons has also been a source of bafflement, with current incumbent Mikel Arteta not doing his long-term prospects any favours with his powderpuff display in the Westfalenstadion Stadium. Victor Wanyama could be in Wenger's sights if Southampton allow the Kenyan to follow the exodus from the south coast in January. Elsewhere, Juan Mata looks like he will be staying at Old Trafford for the forseeable after Juventus cooled their interest in the Spanish playmaker. Instead they will turn their attentions to Barcelona's Pedro, although could face competition from Liverpool and, you guessed it, the team with a real shortage of winger-cum-strikers, Arsenal. Over at Cardiff there's been the usual drama as, appropriately enough on referendum day, Scottish heart-throb Paul Hartley has emerged as a rival to Tony Pulis to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when he is eventually given his marching orders. The Dundee manager is now the hot favourite after promising owner Vicent Tan he will not sign any more Norwegians.