Thanks to the work of sporting director Andrea Berta, Arsenal are being linked with a plethora of attacking talent right now.
Arsenal are still only in the beginnings of Berta’s reign at the club, but it seems like the former Atletico Madrid chief has a very different style to Edu Gaspar.
The Gunners are currently thought to be in discussions with almost a dozen forwards over a potential move this summer — Berta is exploring all options and perhaps he’s also keeping some clubs guessing.
That being said, Arsenal just held a meeting with Eberechi Eze’s camp at Crystal Palace, a player who Mikel Arteta would love to sign.
Eberechi Eze has been amazed by Declan Rice’s progress at Arsenal and would seemingly love to follow suit.
Gary Lineker thinks Eberechi Eze is about to become an Arsenal player
Fortunately, when speaking on ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast, pundit Gary Lineker genuinely believes that Arsenal could soon complete a deal to sign Eberechi Eze from Palace.
Lineker was speaking alongside Micah Richards and Alan Shearer and said that a deal for Eze to join Arsenal looks likely at this stage, even if that might not be good news for the club’s move for Real Madrid’s Rodrygo.
Arsenal would love to sign Rodrygo this summer, a player Richards couldn’t stop praising in reply to Lineker’s Eze comments.
Lineker initially said: “Eze looks like signing for Arsenal. It looks like that’s going to happen.
“He plays sort of on that, perhaps on the left-hand side where Rodrygo wants to play, so maybe that’s not going to happen. Who knows?”
Eberechi Eze during a FA Cup match for Manchester City.
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
READ MORE: ‘Powerful’ player has made it clear he wants to join Arsenal after his club offer him a new contract
Richards replied: “Rodrygo is a class act, seriously, he’s so good on the ball, running in behind, but not only that for a winger, he works his *** off. He works so hard for the team.
“And a manager comes in, his new manager, it might not be for him, but if I was a team in the Premier League, I would take him tomorrow, I think he’s that good.
“I think he’s so dynamic and I think he would fit perfectly in the Premier League side.”
Lineker: “Yeah, because he’s sort of been playing out of position in a way, sometimes central, sometimes on the right side, but he has made it clear he wants to play on the left, hasn’t he?”
Richards: “Yeah, he has and Arsenal need a left winger, don’t they?”
Shearer then added: “Yeah, he would be a good signing, very good.”
Arsenal should prioritise Rodrygo over Eze this summer
Whilst Eze would be a superb signing for Arsenal, he’s arguably not the addition that Arteta needs most right now.
Although Lineker and co alluded to £60m-rated Eze coming in as left winger, he only made three appearances in the position for Palace last season.
The bulk of the Englishman’s appearances were as a number 10 or eight, a position he could definitely thrive in for Arsenal.
But when it comes to prioritising funds, which won’t be endless at Arsenal, Berta would be better off keeping some cash reserves to sign Rodrygo later this summer.
Rodrygo might not leave Madrid until August, but he’s a talent who is worth the wait for Arsenal.
And if Arteta’s side have already spent the majority of their transfer budget before Rodrygo comes on to the market, Berta could be left a little red-faced.