We’re inching closer to the January window and each Premier League club seems to have specific needs. Arsenal will be looking for reinforcements in attack, Manchester United would be looking to get players who can suit Ruben Amorim’s system, Manchester City will be in the hunt for a cover for the injured Rodri, and more.
We spoke to transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio who gave us updates on the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen as well as Arda Guler who was recently linked to the Gunners.
Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea all in for Gyokeres
Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres is of course the most wanted player right now in world football and as per Di Marzio, the troika of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea will be in for him.
Specifically for Manchester United, he mentions that new coach Ruben Amorim would be looking to bring his protege to Old Trafford.
“Amorim is a really good and smart manager. The first thing for a smart coach is to closely see the players he has in the squad, so he will use the coming months for that. The players will get a chance to show what they can.
“But of course, he will do everything to get Gyokeres. He will be the striker next summer and everybody will try to get him. Napoli tried to get him before they signed Lukaku but the price is higher now.
“I think Gyokeres could go to Man United, because he knows the manager and it seems like the perfect wedding in some way. There is no deal right now, but both Amorim and Gyokeres would be very happy to work together again.”
Regarding Arsenal, Di Marzio mentions that between Gyokeres and Alexander Isak, the club is more interested in the former but things could change when they appoint their new sporting director, likely to be Roberto Olabe.
“Isak is a top striker, but Gyokeres is the player the clubs are going for right now. Even Chelsea will try to get Gyokeres, but Arsenal can definitely enter the race. It depends on the idea of the new sporting director, but Arsenal could enter the race for Gyokeres.
“It’s already well known that Roberto Olabe will leave Real Sociedad, and I have been told that he is in advanced talks with Arsenal to replace Edu, so I think he could start a new era at Arsenal.”
Arda Guler moving to Arsenal is highly unlikely
Another rumour doing the rounds was that of Arda Guler being a target for Arsenal but Di Marzio thinks that this specific rumour has no legs. He mentions that Guler is unlikely to leave in January and if he does, it will be on loan.
“Arda Guler is not leaving Real Madrid in January, and if they decide to let him go it will only be on loan. That would be to let him play and then come back, because right now it’s difficult to get minutes at Real Madrid.”
He adds that Arsenal is not a club that Arda Guler will be loaned out to as the Turkish player needs minutes, which he’s unlikely to get at the North London club.
“If he goes out on loan, I don’t think it will be to Arsenal. It would be on a lower level, so he can play every time. He wants to convince the manager, even if it is a new manager after Ancelotti, that he should play.
“They could even keep him, just to make him understand the European tactics even more. Ancelotti is the perfect guy for that, and he knows that as Ancelotti also coached Kaka back in AC Milan. So, even though he doesn’t play so many minutes, Ancelotti can be very important to his development.”
Arsenal are set to take on West Ham United this weekend, as the Gunners look to build on a hugely impressive 5-1 win over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League in midweek. Mikel Arteta’s side are priced at 4/9 on William Hill to beat West Ham, which could be a tempting bet for some bettors. Be sure to use the William Hill promo code when signing up to this operator, as they’re offering a sizeable amount of free bets for their new customers, as well as being one of the best football betting sites in the business.
