Arsenal were linked to signing Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali on transfer deadline day in a shocking update.
The Gunners currently have their focus on their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea on Tuesday night. They are 3-2 up in the tie as things stand, and hope to get to Wembley to try and win their first piece of silverware since 2020.
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Mikel Arteta didn’t see any transfers coming in during the January window as he is already happy with his current squad, however, midfielder Mikel Merino suffered an ankle injury, which sparked rumours of Arsenal’s interest in Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali.
Howe responds to Tonali to Arsenal links
Arsenal didn’t end up making a move for the Italian midfielder, and it has since emerged that Tonali’s agent ‘offered him’ to Arsenal, rather than the Gunners making the initial move for him.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was asked about the links in his press conference on Tuesday morning, he very quickly denied any contact, and also said that Tonali is not unsettled at St James’ Park.
He told Sky Sports: “As far as I’m aware, we’ve got player who is an outstanding footballer, an outstanding person. He’s very happy here, he’s got a great relationship with me, his teammates, and seems really happy within himself.
“That would surprise me [if Tonali became unsettled], but our best players will always attract glances from other clubs – that’s just the reality of football. There was certainly no intention from our side to lose Sandro at all. He’s such an integral player to what we’re doing. He’s very happy here.”
Could the Gunners target a different midfielder?
Seeing as Merino is injured, Arsenal could decide to bring in a free agent midfielder to help keep the depth of the squad as they push for the Premier League title.
It is understood that Arsenal are considering signing former midfielder Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain as a free agent, as he is currently training with the U21s.
With that being said, the 32-year-old wouldn’t expect to make much of an impact, because he last played in May for Turkish side Besiktas.
Click here to see every deal that happened in the Premier League in January.