The Transfer Window is less than 48 hours until it closes for all English teams. This means that clubs have very little time to finish up on their Summer business before the new season begins this Friday.
Arsenal has signed four players this summer. Brazil forward Gabriele Martinelli was the first to arrive followed by the double signing of Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos on loan and young Saint Etienne center back William Saliba who was immediately loaned back to the French side.
The arrival of Lille winger Nicholas Pepe for a club-record fee has created the most excitement amongst Arsenal fans but huge gaps are still present in Unai Emery’s squad. Below, we look at signings that Arsenal might make before Thursday’s transfer deadline.
Dayot Upamecano-Center Back
Laurent Koscielny’s departure has further weakened an Arsenal defense that is midtable material at best. It is exactly why the Gunners need to sign a center back before Thursday or risk killing the Pepe Excitement before he has even played on match fo the Gunners.
Dayot Upamecano plays for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig and is only 20 years old. Arsenal has had a bid for the French defender rejected and one would expect that they will test Leipzig’s resolve with an improved bid in the next few hours.
🚨 Arsenal could submit a new bid for Dayot Upamecano in the next hours [@lequipe]. Arsenal are still very interested in signing the player despite their first bid being rejected. 🚨 #AFC pic.twitter.com/ARqrp7Hzvi
— GunnerScout (@scout_afc) August 6, 2019
Keiran Tierney-Left Back
The Celtic left-back has been the talk of the Summer from an Arsenal point of view. Though still recovering from a hip injury, Unai Emery has earmarked him as the man to solve Arsenal’s left-back issue and has seen the Scottish Champions reject two bids from the Gunners.
Left-back remains a liability for Arsenal despite having two players who can play in the position. Nacho Monreal is very much capable of playing in there but at 33 years of age, he does not have the legs nor the energy to put in consistent performances week in week out.
Sead Kolasinac, on the other hand, is 25 and entering his best years but he is more comfortable playing as a left wing-back rather than as a left-back in a back 4(Which is Emery’s preferred formation at the back).
Signing Kieran Tierney has to be first priority on Arsenal’s list before Thursday and a deal is very much likely.
Fee agreed between Arsenal & Bordeaux for Laurent Koscielny is up to €5m max. Medical as we speak, contract needs finalising. #AFC hope to sign a centre-back + retain Kieran Tierney interest despite injury. Carl Jenkinson to Nottingham Forest talks advanced #FCGB #CelticFC #NFFC
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) August 6, 2019
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