Mikel Arteta wants more. Fresh from a brilliant season where Arsenal fell just short of an historic league and European double, the manager is targeting improvements to his team’s left flank.
Reports from Flashscore state the club had a bid rejected for Leicester City’s Jeremy Monga and are actively preparing an offer for PSG’s Bradley Barcola. It looks like Gabriel Martinelli’s time is running out at the Emirates Stadium.
Football365 and TEAMtalk suggest Arsenal will happily cash in on Martinelli to fund Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams. The Spaniard has a €90 million (£78m) release clause. Arsenal’s current options simply aren’t tracking well enough.
SmartFrame Image
Martinelli managed 11 goals and seven assists last term. Leandro Trossard registered eight goals and 10 assists. Respectable? Yes. Title-winning elite? Apparently not.
Money, power, and the race for Europe’s elite talent
Let’s be realistic about Barcola. It is a lovely headline. It sells papers. But getting him out of Paris is a nightmare. He is annoyed with his role as a luxury sub under Luis Enrique. Arsenal and Liverpool are watching. But PSG have just won back-to-back Champions League titles. They don’t need the money.
Barcola created 77 chances last season, the highest at PSG, and chipped in with 21 goal contributions. You don’t just wave goodbye to that. A fee under £70 million is a pipe dream. Arsenal would have to completely break the bank.
SmartFrame Image
Williams is the smarter buy.
Athletic Club might even accept around €80m, slightly below his official clause. Chelsea and Manchester United are sniffing around, but TEAMtalk believes Arsenal are confident.
Look at the data. Williams delivers a goal involvement every 1.76 games over the past two seasons. Compare that to Trossard, who sits at one every 2.73 games. Martinelli drops even further back with an alarming return of one involvement every 3.4 games across the same period. The gap is massive.
Barcelona are still in contention. Typically. They always are. Williams’ camp has been talking to clubs across the continent, though the player prefers North London if he hits the Premier League. Winning the league title last season gives Arteta a massive leverage point that cash-strapped Barca cannot match.
The club have reportedly offered him €9m net a year. That is a serious statement of intent. Transfermarkt values Martinelli and Trossard at a combined £56m. Selling them balances the books. Bayern Munich want Martinelli. Aston Villa like Trossard. This summer is all about the left side.