Arsenal are well and truly in the race to secure a UEFA Champions League spot for next term. If the Gunners do manage to qualify for the marquee event, it will be their first appearance in the competition since the 2016/17 season.
As per the latest reports from the Sun, Arsenal could be getting ready for a stunning £180 million summer transfer raid, if, and only if, they qualify for the UEFA Champions League for next term.
The source understands that the former Premier League champions could be back on a spending spree next summer, after having spent £130 million before the start of this season. With that said, the players that the Gunners are looking to bring in are Real Sociedad’s Alexander Isak, Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Wolves’ Ruben Neves.
With the North Londoners losing out on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the deadline day of the winter window to Barcelona, and with Alexandre Lacazette in the final six months of his contract, Arsenal’s interest in Isak and Calvert-Lewin is well and truly justified. While the London-based outfit do want to keep Lacazette, they are aware that Lyon are prepared to offer the Frenchman a better, and long-term contract. This could force Arteta to look towards a squad revamp.
While Isak and Calvert-Lewin are not as hyped as someone like Erling Haaland, they are prospects to be followed.
But, do Arsenal really need Ruben Neves?
Ruben Neves – a good midfield option for Arteta?
Ruben Neves, 24, has been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium in the past as well but in my opinion, Arsenal don’t really need him at the moment. If Mikel Arteta is the manager to take the Gunners back to the top, then Neves should not really be considered as an option.
Sure, the Portuguese midfielder is one of the most consistent players in Wolevs’ outfit, and with him being only 24, he can only get better. With that said, his profile does not really fit Arsenal’s style of play.
Neves is someone who cannot press high on the pitch and he could be found lagging when it comes to back-tracking or moving forward, on the break.
We are starting to see shades of the Arsenal that Arteta is looking to build and that mostly revolves around Pep Guardiola’s idealogy of how football is to be played. The former Manchester City assistant manager wants his team to keep hold of the ball all the time, play in triangles and form partnerships in the middle of the pitch.
This could effectively render Neves ineffective at the Emirates. This is because the 24-year-old specializes in long-balls, set-piece deliveries, and diagonal crosses into the box. A system revolving loosely around Tiki-Taka could be hard to fit into, for the Wolves midfielder
Ruben Neves, if signed, would surely bring in a plethora of quality in Arteta’s set-up but would struggle to get going. At the moment, Arsenal need midfielders who are quick, can win the ball high up the pitch, and more importantly, win duels.
