Arsenal ‘looking to sign a central midfielder, centre back and winger’ this summer
Arsenal will be in the market for a central midfielder, centre back and winger in the upcoming transfer window, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic.
Willian, who is currently at Chelsea but will be a free agent in the summer, is one of the names on a list of wingers Arsenal are interested in. He is thought to be a high profile winger who will be able to use his experience to help Arteta’s project succeed and nurture the young players in the team. Tottenham are believed to be among the clubs also in the running for the Brazilian’s signature.
It is not known what kind of central midfielder Arsenal are looking to sign. The midfield is devoid of goals at the moment so Arsenal could be searching for a player that can help them plug that gap. The Gunners have been strongly linked with Thomas Partey in the last few months. He is not particularly known for his goal scoring but would definitely improve the Arsenal midfield significantly.
The future of many Arsenal centre backs remains up in the air. We will get clarity on David Luiz’s contract situation shortly. Sokratis and Mustafi both have one year remaining on their contracts. William Saliba will join the Gunners in the summer but fans can expect one more centre back to walk through the doors in the upcoming transfer window.
With respect to Matteo Guendouzi’s future at the club, Ornstein reports that there are some at Arsenal who are fed up with the player’s antics and would like to see him depart the club. That doesn’t mean he will be sold. It is unlikely that Arsenal will be able to get what they believe Guendouzi is worth in this market due to the financial impact of the coronavirus. There may also still be people at Arsenal who want to see him succeed in North London. Nobody denies the potential that he possesses but he will be expected to improve his attitude and discipline.
On the subject of Arteta’s chances of succeeding as Arsenal head coach, club insiders don’t think the question is whether Arteta will let Arsenal down as much as it is about whether the club will let Arteta down. People in football think he is a special coach with a very bright future in the game. He will need support to execute his long term plan at Arsenal and the complete financial backing of the club. Arteta is expected to be on board with the process of rebuilding the club taking longer than expected due to the financial consequences of the global pandemic.
