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Arsenal need attacking reinforcements | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal are now said to be interested in a reported Chelsea target as they look to improve their attack.
Arsenal have reportedly identified a Premier League star as one of their potential winger targets. The Gunners need a winger this summer to add competition to Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.
Mikel Arteta used Leandro Trossard as a winger alternative last season, while Ethan Nwaneri also filled in at the position. But in the absence of genuine competition for starting places, Arsenal didn’t get the best out of Martinelli, in particular, even if the Brazilian did improve in the back-end of the season.
We have already seen players aplenty being linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer, with Arsenal expected to spend big between now and the start of the new season. We already know that Athletic Club star Nico Williams will not be an option, with the winger headed to Barcelona as many predicted before this summer.
The Daily Mail say the Gunners are considering a move for Kudus, who is said to want to move on after a disappointing season of last. The winger was superb in his first season in England, but he and the Hammers as a collective struggled last term. Kudus is said to have a release clause worth £85million in his contract, but West Ham are not going to get that sort of money for the winger. The latest reports have suggested a more realistic asking price of £65million.
Kudus’ struggles
Kudus only managed five goals and four assist last season, but he was playing in a West Ham side that greatly struggled under both Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter. The latter did not hide the fact that Kudus was struggling when speaking in the spring.
“Yeah (Kudus has struggled), I think he’s probably had a season that – from his perspective – would be a little bit disappointing,” Potter admitted. And it’s for different reasons, not because his lack of effort or anything like that – just sometimes these things happen. Speaking personally he’s been great with us in terms of how he’s worked every day, fantastic.
“He’s built his fitness up, built his condition up to the point where he can sustain things a lot better now. Football can go like that sometimes. You can have a little spell where it doesn’t quite happen for you in front of goal or that final pass just doesn’t quite get there. But it doesn’t take much to turn that around because how he contributed against Arsenal for example in our win there, even though he didn’t score or assist, he was a top, top player in that game and massively helped us. So the numbers do say something – but there’s also other aspects of his performance that have been really, really good.”
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