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Arsenal are reportedly ready to battle their local rivals Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of RB Leipzig defender Lutsharel Geertruida. As reported by Football.London, both north London giants have set their sights on the versatile Netherlands international.
Geertruida only joined RB Leipzig in the summer from Feyenoord having come through the Dutch club's youth ranks. However, the 24-year-old continues to attract interest from clubs from across clubs Europe and particularly from the Premier League.
The versatile Dutchman has been almost a regular for RB Leipzig since his reported €25 million switch in the summer. He has made 14 appearances across competitions for the Bundesliga giants having scored once and provided one assist.
Geertruida is a gifted player in terms of versatility having played at centre-back, right-back, left-back, defensive midfield and even in central midfield in his career. He has also been capped 14 times for the Netherlands so far.
It has been claimed that RB Leipzig could be open to selling the defender for €45 million in January amid interest from Arsenal and Tottenham. Chelsea, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Borussia Dortmund, and Lyon have also been linked with the services of the Dutchman.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admires versatile defenders who can play across the backline. Geertruida certainly fits the bill and could be a solid addition to Arsenal, especially considering the injury history of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur face the prospect of losing their star right-back Pedro Porro to Real Madrid. Los Blancos have reportedly set their sights on the Spaniard as an alternative to their primary target Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard hails 'unbelievable' wonderkid
Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard has heaped praise on the Gunners' top talent Ethan Nwaneri. The 17-year-old has been making a name for himself this season having given opportunities to shine by Mikel Arteta.
Nwaneri has made 10 appearances across competitions this season although he has started just two of those game. The flamboyant midfielder has done really well having found the back of the net four times.
Martin Odegaard has singled out the history-making young midfielder for his confidence despite his young age. The Arsenal and Norway captain said, as quoted by Metro:
"I try to help him, I think that’s the main thing. He deserves all the praise, all the attention and everything he gets now. He’s unbelievable. He scored the other day and it’s not just that, it’s just the way he plays, the way he trains with so much confidence."
The former Real Madrid midfielder added:
"You see it every time he comes on the pitch, the fans get excited and he’s so up for it, he’s so ready, he always takes the initiative. He’s not scared. I love to play with him, train with him."
Nwaneri became the youngest ever to appear in the Premier League on September 18, 2022 making his debut aged 15 years and 181 days. He has so far made 12 senior appearances for Arsenal having scored four goals in the process.
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Edited by Ankush Das