Transfer Roundup 1: Gabriel is a Gunner!
This is going to be the first in a weekly series where I talk about all of the most noteworthy transfer news that’s been going around in the last week. I’ll be doing a paragraph on players linked with a move to the club and players linked with a move away, and in the world of Arsenal transfer rumors there really is a lot to talk about.
Gabriel Magalhaes
Well I’ll start off with the biggest news of the week and that is that we finally saw the long awaited announcement of Brazilian center back Gabriel Magalhaes, the player completed a deal worth around £27 million and he will wear the number 6 last worn by former captain Laurent Koscielny and Arsenal legend Tony Adams. The 22 year old has signed a 5 year contract with the gunners. He made 24 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille last season scoring 1 goal as they finished fourth in the French league.
In his first interview as an Arsenal player he said “I know the history and traditions of this club and it is a pleasure being here. I am very happy and I hope I can contribute to win many titles with the Arsenal shirt”, the full interview is on Arsenal’s youtube channel if you want to check it out by clicking on this link. Arsenal fans are looking forward to seeing him play and I for one can’t wait to see him playing in an Arsenal jersey.
Dani Ceballos
From one done deal to another it looks as if Arsenal are closing in on the re-signing of Dani Ceballos on another 1 year loan deal. Reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed earlier this week that “Arsenal and Real Madrid have reached a full agreement for the loan transfer of Dani Ceballos for the 2020/21 season.” Dani Ceballos spent last season on loan with the gunners and he played a pivotal role in Mikel Arteta’s squad post-lockdown where the Real Madrid midfielder really started to flourish and Arteta was clearly very keen to bring him reportedly calling the player to convince him to rejoin his Arsenal side for the 20/21 season. He became a fan favorite during his year at the club and most Arsenal fans are extremely happy to have the Spaniard back in the Arsenal midfield.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
From players coming in to players going out, this week we saw the confirmation of the termination of Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s Arsenal contract. It was confirmed earlier this week that the Armenian international signed for Italian side AS Roma after terminating his contract with Arsenal by mutual consent. The winger signed for Arsenal from Manchester United in 2018 as part of a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez, both players have now completed moves to Italy after they both had relatively disappointing careers after their swap deal that has been branded by many as the worst swap deal in Premier League history.
Lucas Torreira
Keeping with Arsenal players moving to Italy it seems as if Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira seems set to move back to Italy this window after a disappointing second season at Arsenal with Fiorentina seemingly the most likely destination. Italian journalist Luca Fiorino has reported that Fiorentina want to sign Torreira on an initial loan with and obligation to buy for 25 million euros. But it seems as if Arsenal do not want to let the player go on loan and are looking to sell the player this window for a fee of around £27 million and they are not willing to budge on their stance as Mikel Arteta’s side look to bring in more money to fund more signings this summer this comes to the dismay of Fiorentina who want the player on an initial loan deal, that is why reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano reported the following on the situation “Lucas Torreira to Fiorentina is so,so difficult”.
Lucas Torreira had a good first season at Arsenal after his move in 2018 but it’s been hard for him this season as he was not considered a first team player by either Unai Emery or Mikel Arteta and it seemed as if a move back to Italy was imminent, so this is one that looks like it is going to happen sooner rather than later as both parties are eager to part ways.
Sokratis
Keeping with the theme of Arsenal players moving to Italy it looks as if Greek center back Sokratis Papastathopoulos is close to completing a move to Italian side Napoli, but the transfer may be a little more complicated than it previously seemed as reports have come out this week from reliable Italian source DiMarzio have said that “Arsenal want a fee from Napoli for Sokratis if they want to sign him but Napoli are trying to sign Sokratis for free.” Napoli are looking to sign the 32 year old as a replacement for Kalidou Koulibaly who looks set to join Manchester City this summer. DiMarzio went on to say that “Arsenal have also proposed the renewal of the Greek, a sign of how they do not intend to deprive themselves of him (even if Gattuso pushes for it talking directly with the defender). So it seems as if Arsenal are not willing to budge on their stance on the player and seem to be testing Napoli’s reserve by suggesting a contract extension for the center back. This transfer seems a little complicated at the minute but it seems as if Arsenal would be open to accepting a fee of around £5 million which shouldn’t be a problem for Napoli so this is a transfer that is likely to happen.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
From players leaving the club to players staying it seems as if Mikel Arteta has made a u-turn on the future of versatile young academy graduate Ainsley Maitland-Niles. If you had have asked me this time last week I would said that Maitland-Niles is going to leave Arsenal, and now after a man of the match performance last weekend’s Community Shield victory over Liverpool it seems as if the player is close to signing a new deal at the Emirates. It was being widely reported that the player was close to signing for Wolves for a fee of around £20 million but it seems now that the player is going to be a big part in Arteta’s plans and we could even see him as first choice right back this season. The player started at left wing back in a back three in Saturday’s win over Liverpool in which he received man of the match and scored a penalty in the game’s penalty shootout.
The player has impressed Arsenal fans over the last season playing in many different positions but particularly impressing when playing the either of the full back positions. This is a versatile young player that can play in many different positions and I’m extremely happy Arteta has decided to keep him as he could be a big player in the future and letting him go could end up being a massive regret but reports coming from outlets such as The Guardian and the Daily Mail have said that “Despite appearing close to joining Wolves last week, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is likely to stay at the club.” So this is one Hale End graduate that we won’t have to watch winning Champions Leagues at other clubs in the future.
Hector Bellerin
More news coming out about Arsenal right backs in the last week, this time regarding Hector Bellerin. The former Spain international has been heavily linked with a move to Champions League finalists PSG. The Telegraph are reporting that PSG are heavily interested in signing Bellerin from Arsenal and have reportedly made a bid of around £25 million plus £5 million in add-ons. Arsenal are reportedly reluctant to sell the long serving player but would be willing to listen to offers at the right price which is rumored to be around £35 million. The sale of Hector Bellerin would go a long way in helping to finance the signings of players like Thomas Partey and Houssem Aouar. PSG are currently without a natural right back after the departure of Thomas Meunier and Hector Bellerin is at the top of their list of replacements.
I think it would be a pity to see the player go but it seems there’s a split in the opinions of Arsenal fans with some fans eager to sell and some that would rather keep a hold of the player. Bellerin broke into the squad during the 14/15 season but has been unfortunate with injuries throughout his Arsenal career but it now seems as if he’s recapturing his from under Arteta playing a big part in Arsenal’s FA Cup victory last month and has been a frequent starter under Arteta. Personally I would like to keep Bellerin and I think there are better ways to raise funds than to sell crucial first team players especially long serving players with an impact on the sqaud and the players.
Emi Martinez
Keeping on the topic of players who played a vital part in Arsenal’s FA Cup victory, long serving Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez has been attracting attention across Europe this week amid a plethora of mixed reports regarding the Argentine’s future. Martinez previously said that if he was not going to be Arsenal’s number 1 this season then he would look to join a club where he would be the starting goalkeeper. The Sun reported that Aston Villa and Leeds were interested while Sky Sports said that German side Schalke were interested in signing the goalkeeper but after Arteta started him over Leno in Saturday’s clash with Liverpool it could mean that Martinez is in fact going to be Arteta’s number 1 for the coming season but there is going to be heavy competition with Arsenal player of the season runner up Bernd Leno also fighting for a place in the starting team after returning from injury.
However, if Martinez isn’t convinced on his future at Arsenal it seems as if the Gunners have already lined up a replacement option in Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, reports the Athletic. But judging by what Mikel Arteta has said about the situation it seems unlikely that the player will be leaving as the Gunners boss said this after Saturday’s game at Wembley “Emi has shown in the last few months what he is able to do for this football club. I am convinced he has the level to play for us consistently at that level. He showed that today in a final, but I cannot stop the speculation [about his future].” This one is still very much up in the air and could still go either way but the window is open for another month so he has plenty of time to decide his future.
Houssem Aouar
Most of the news this week has been regarding players leaving or staying at the club but here’s some ore news regarding players coming in. There has been lots of speculation regarding Lyon star Houssem Aouar and it seems like nobody is more interested in securing his services than Arsenal. Reliable journalist David Ornstein has said that “Conversations between Arsenal and Lyon have taken place over Aouar” and Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has said “What I can guarantee to you, is Arsenal’s board is in love with Aouar.” But this is a world class talent and Arsenal are going to face competition from top clubs around Europe such as Juventus and Manchester City. Juventus were heavily interested but according to reports from French journalist Abdellah Boulma the playmaker is only interested in playing for a Premier League club. At the minute Arsenal are the only club in talks with Lyon and the player will definitely be leaving France this summer as has been made clear by both the player and the club president.
Now the only problem is the not so small matter of the transfer fee that will be needed to secure the player’s services. French journalist Jonathan Johnson has said the following regarding Aouar and his transfer fee “They are [Lyon] looking for upwards of €50m which is not going to be an easy fee to meet for a lot of clubs that want to sign him.” So this would be a big signing for Arsenal and most certainly an expensive one.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Not much to report here but it really does seem that this is the week where we’ll finally see the long awaited announcement of Aubameyang’s contract extension at Arsenal. Arsenal fans are eager to see the Gunners captain sign a new contract and Arsenal legends have been vocal about the importance of Aubameyang signing a new deal with Ian Wright and Invincible right back Lauren both speaking out on the matter. The player scored 22 premier league goals this season finishing 1 goal behind golden boot winner Jamie Vardy. But we’ll just have to wait until we see an announcement from Arsenal before we know that this really is confirmed and we will see Aubameyang at Arsenal for another couple of years.
Thomas Partey
Seemingly at the top of Arsenal’s wishlist this summer is Thomas Partey who has been repeatedly linked with a move this summer and could end up being the Gunner’s marquee signing of the window. As if we didn’t already know this week it has been further confirmed by David Ornstein that “Arsenal want to bring in Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey” but he also said like many other journalists that Arsenal will have to pay Thomas Partey’s release clause. Sky Sports have reported that Arsenal will need to sanction at least one sale in order to be able to pay the Ghanaian’s £45 million release clause. That’s pretty much it regarding Thomas Partey but what we do know is that this is one of those typical Arsenal transfer sagas that could get wrapped up this window or one that could go on for 2-3 years we’ll just have to wait and see. If you want to read about Thomas Partey on our website check out this link https://dailyafc.com/trippier-partey-would-fit-in-perfectly-in-the-premier-league/ .
Other News
In this section I’ll talk about some of the less glamorous transfer news of the week, news that isn’t quite as widely reported but has some scattered reports throughout the media.
What better way to start the not so glamorous news than with center back Rob Holding seemingly very close to completing a loan move up north to Steve Bruce’s Newcastle. Arteta doesn’t want to sell the player as he reportedly sees Holding as the replacement for David Luiz in the coming years. Sky Sports reported that “Newcastle are in advanced talks with Arsenal over Rob Holding, who is likely to spend the season there on loan.” With the arrival of Gabriel Magalhaes Arsenal now have 8 senior center backs, some center backs will be sold but seemingly Holding is still in Arteta’s plans.
The final news of the day is in relation to Sead Kolasinac who seems like he is about to return to German side Schalke. German news outlet Bild are reporting that Arsenal want £13.5 million for the Bosnian left back. When asked about the situation Kolasinac said “I just want to go home” so it seems like he would like the move to happen but unfortunately for him and for Arsenal the transfer may not be financially feasible for Schalke and they would rather get the player on an initial loan deal.
That’s all for this week, it’s been a very busy week and it’s only going to get busier throughout the window. I’ll try my best to post one of these each week so make sure and stay tuned to DailyAFC.
