The stunning double transfer deal that could futureproof Arsenal this Januaryplaceholder image
The stunning double transfer deal that could futureproof Arsenal this January | AFP via Getty Images
Arsenal have been linked with a pair of gifted young players - but are they the right signing as the Gunners look to the future?
Arsenal are one of few teams that can’t be said to have too many problems to deal with right now. They’re playing well, at the top of the table, have a strong squad and are in the best position they’ve been in as a club for many years. On paper, they don’t have much cause be busy in the January transfer window – but there is one thing their recruitment team do need to work on.
That’s increasing the number of young players on the books. While their academy has produced rising stars such as Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman, Arsenal are still some way behind other teams in the Premier League (especially Chelsea) when it comes to identifying, signing and trading young talent. It’s not just a matter of futureproofing the playing squad, but the club’s financial position as well. There are good players to be found and profit to be made.
That’s why it’s no surprise to see the Gunners linked with a double deal for two talented young players just starting to make a name for themselves in Serie A – Davide Bartesaghi and Lorenzo Torriani. But who are Arsenal’s youthful targets, and could they be players who make a significant difference in years to come?
Why Arsenal might be keen to sign Davide Bartesaghi & Lorenzo Torriani
According to Italian media outlet Calciomercato, Arsenal are “monitoring” both 19-year-old full-back Bartesaghi and 20-year-old goalkeeper Torriani with a view to signing both, although it isn’t made clear when such a deal might take place or how much the Gunners might be made to pay – simply that they are both seen as excellent long-term investments.
Bartesaghi is perhaps the better known despite being the younger of the two. An attacking left wing-back who can also play in the centre of defence – aided by his 6’5” height, which makes him unusually imposing for his more natural position, he made his debut for AC Milan in 2023 and has made 28 senior appearances in total since, starting nine matches already this year.
He’s earned his regular starts, too. Going forward, his combination of movement and acceleration makes him the ideal overlapping full-back, getting into dangerous areas regularly, creating a high volume of chances and scoring a couple himself – he bagged a brace in his most recent match against Sassuolo, the first professional goals of his career.
He's been impressive in his own half of the field as well, with the precision of his tackling standing out in particular. He isn’t a technical, passing full-back suited to coming inside like Myles Lewis-Skelly or Riccardo Calafiori, but he would offer a change of pace and a fresh angle of attack going forward if Arsenal were to sign him.
Torriani, meanwhile, has less first-team football under his belt, and hasn’t made it as far as the Italy Under-21s set-up unlike his colleague – but he has impressed sufficiently early in his career to pick up two appearances for Milan last season in cup competition, including one against Liverpool when he replaced the injured Mike Maignan in the Champions League last September and acquitted himself well, making three fine saves.
Tall and blessed with impressive reflexes, there is a certain resemblance to another Italina goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, although there is a long road ahead before he reaches that level.
Both Torriani and Bartesaghi are impressive talents who have already shown that they can play well at the highest level. But are they what Arsenal need, and are they really on their way to the Emirates?
Will Arsenal sign both Milan youngsters in 2026?
As it stands, other media outlets have yet to corroborate the claims regarding Arsenal’s interest in Bartesaghi and Torriani – but there has been plenty of evidence that Arsenal are trying to increase the amount of young talent in and around the first-team squad.
Their public pursuit of Sverre Nypan may have failed this summer but it signposted a change of tack in their recruitment and a renewed focus on the future - and on talent which can be sold for a profit in years to come if the players don’t manage to force themselves into Mikel Arteta’s plans. It’s a method Chelsea have proven can be lucrative and effective. They’ve signed a slew of highly-rated youngsters and already started selling those that don’t make the cut at a profit, and Arsenal are being linked with young players who fit a similar mould more and more frequently.
By that logic, however, Bartesaghi would be an unusual transfer target. He’s in Milan’s first-team plans and contracted until 2030, meaning that he would likely be extremely expensive. Chelsea have mostly focussed on buying players from less expensive markets like South America and second-tier European leagues to avoid the expense of prying young players away from other teams at the top level.
So if Arsenal want to sign Bartesaghi, then they would surely be signing him as a player who was expected to have an instant impact on the first-team squad – but with Calafiori and Lewis-Skelly on the books and suggesting that Arteta prefers an inverted full-back to an overlapping wing-back, Bartesaghi would be a curious player to buy. If Arsenal really are going to make a move for the youngster, the justification would certainly be interesting to hear. He neither meshes with the current system Arteta uses, nor would be easy to turn a profit on a year or two down the line.
That may be easier with Torriani who is less well-established and plays in a less costly position, although he too is contracted until 2030. Arsenal do already have England Under-21 international Tommy Setford on the books, but Torriani could easily push him to be the goalkeeper of the future at the Emirates given the chance.
It may, of course, just be the case that Arsenal have sent scouts to look at the players in much the same way that they will take a look at dozen of others. It may be that Calciomercato are getting a little overexcited – or, perhaps, Arsenal are preparing to take a chance on two undeniably talented young players in 2026 and to put Bartesaghi and Torriani at the front of the queue as they try to bring more young players to North London. We’ll find out before too long.
Continue Reading