Arsenal have been put on alert to a shock move for Tijjani Reijnders this summer, just 12 months after he arrived at Manchester City in a £45m deal.
Arsenal join Reijnders race
Life is good at the Emirates. Arsenal have gone from a side in panic to a side with their sights set on a stunning Champions League and Premier League double. Their domestic fate is back in their own hands with three games left to play, courtesy of David Moyes and Everton, and Budapest awaits their showdown with Paris Saint-Germain.
On the pitch, history beckons. Away from the action, the Gunners are perhaps in their best-ever position to welcome some impressive names in the summer transfer window.
If Andrea Berta's touchline tussle with former colleague Diego Simeone was anything to go by, the sporting director means business ahead of the summer and could pull off a shock move.
According to Caught Offside, Arsenal are on red alert in the race to sign Reijnders, who could call it quits just one year on from joining Man City after tumbling down the pecking order.
Of course, it wouldn't be the first time that Arsenal took advantage of City's out-of-favour stars. They've previously welcomed both Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko with mixed success, and could make Reijnders the next player to cross the divide.
tijjani-reijnders-man-city
Whether Pep Guardiola sanctions such an exit remains to be seen, however. The Man City boss has been full of praise for the midfielder since his arrival, telling reporters in pre-season: “Yeah, we knew that he is a special player arriving into the box.
“He loves to do that. People in Italy know him perfectly [after his time at AC Milan]. He scored two goals and he made a fantastic performance like the rest of his teammates."
"Special" Reijnders can solve Arsenal's Zubimendi problem
On paper, it may seem as though Man City would be losing nothing more than depth to their midfield, but that depth can quickly make all the difference. Arsenal have certainly struggled without it at times and have only recently turned to a solution in Myles Lewis-Skelly in place of a shattered Martin Zubimendi.
Reijnders represents a target who would solve that Zubimendi problem on a permanent basis. The Dutchman, at this stage of the campaign, would be an invaluable option to turn to.
PL 25/26 P90 Reijnders Zubimendi
Minutes 1,499 2,871
Duel success 40.9% 60.5%
Goals 0.3 0.16
Chances created 1.02 0.56
Arsenal's biggest problem has still been in open play this season and that can stem from midfield. As a defensive unit, Declan Rice and Zubimendi are arguably the best in the league. Going forward, however, Zubimendi is far too passive. Reijnders would change that.
The Man City star is like a throwback midfielder with the way he crashes the penalty area, scoring almost two-times the amount of goals as Zubimendi per game. If he is available, then Arsenal should waste little time before launching their move this summer.
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Arsenal are now shifting their focus towards signing a midfield star who could partner Declan Rice next season.