Former Arsenal forward turned pundit Paul Merson has urged his old club to sign AC Milan star Ruben Loftus-Cheek before the 7 pm transfer deadline.
Following Mikel Merino’s recent injury, the Gunners have been left with a thin midfield department, with Christian Norgaard struggling to break into Mikel Arteta’s starting line-up.
Meaning, Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice are the only trusted midfield options Arteta currently has at his disposal.
Merino has broken his foot and is set to remain sidelined for an extended period after undergoing surgery. So, David Ornstein has reported that the Gunners are surveying options to sign on a short-term loan deal late in this winter window.
Now, Merson has said (via Metro) that Loftus-Cheek is a ‘very good’ player with Premier League experience, so he is an option ‘worth looking at’ for Arsenal as a potential replacement for Merino.
However, signing the former Chelsea star might not be straightforward for the North London club, as other clubs may also attempt to sign him to bolster the midfield department.
Merson said:
“Oh absolutely worth looking at. Loftus-Cheek is a very good player with Premier League experience. That would be a no-brainer. But there’d be a lot of other clubs that could need Loftus-Cheek, definitely.”
Loftus-Cheek to Arsenal
The 30-year-old has entered the final 16 months of his current contract and has struggled to find regular game time thus far this season, starting only eight Serie A matches. Therefore, the Italian giants might be open to cashing-in on him today.
Loftus-Cheek, standing at 6ft 3in tall, is a versatile player. Although he likes to be deployed in the box-to-box role, he is comfortable in the double midfield pivot position and can provide cover in the CAM role if needed.
He might be a shrewd short-term acquisition for Arsenal should they eventually manage to secure his service on loan before the 7 PM transfer deadline.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Arsenal are exploring the possibility of signing Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali to bolster the midfield.
It is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club eventually opt to sign a new midfielder before the deadline.