Arsenal
Premier League • England
Arsenal exit ‘highly likely’ as agreement reached with Europa League club
The transfer of an Arsenal star to Turkish giants Galatasaray is ‘highly likely’ after an agreement was reached, according to reports.
Manager Mikel Arteta is in the midst of a complete squad rebuild as he eyes a return to European football. Ageing players David Luiz and Willian were allowed to leave for free in the summer.
French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi joined Marseille on loan, while Joe Willock was sold to Newcastle United for £25million.
Arsenal embarked on an ambitious spending spree to improve Arteta’s options. English players Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale joined for a combined £80m, with Martin Odegaard also arriving from Real Madrid.
Young midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga was brought in from Anderlecht. He will compete with Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey.
The final big-money deal saw Takehiro Tomiyasu sign from Bologna. He has started the season brightly and looks set to become an Arsenal favourite.
Despite the busy summer, Arteta’s work is not done. Alongside technical director Edu Gaspar, he is already plotting ins and outs for 2022.
One transfer seems to be moving ahead at great speed. football.london, citing reports in Turkey, claim that Mohamed Elneny is set to join Galatasaray.
Do Arsenal need Zakaria
While Zakaria would be a good addition, is another midfielder really what Arsenal need most?
The defensive midfielder has sorted out personal terms with the Turkish giants. Both parties believe a deal is ‘highly likely’ to go through in January.
A fee just needs to be agreed with Arsenal. The north London outfit should not demand too much as Elneny has rarely featured this campaign.
He played 45 minutes in the 5-0 thrashing by Man City on August 28. Clearly the Egyptian did not impress as he has yet to appear in the league since.
Most of Elneny’s game time has come in the Carabao Cup. He played in the victories over West Brom and Leeds United.
The 29-year-old originally joined Arsenal from FC Basel for a reported £7m in 2016.
Arteta reacts to Ronald Koeman sacking
Meanwhile, Arteta has responded to questions over Barcelona’s sacking of Koeman.
The Dutchman left his role at the Camp Nou on Wednesday following a poor run of form. Barca B coach Sergi Barjuan will take the reigns ahead of this weekend.
At Friday’s press conference, Arteta said: “There has been a lot going on in the last few years. And obviously with how Covid has affected things.
“Obviously you have to overcome a situation like the departure of [Lionel] Messi. He has been the key player for many many years and all that takes time and we’ll see.
“I just hope that everything works out well.”
Barca and Spain legend Xavi is in talks to replace Koeman. The former midfielder currently manages Al Sadd in Qatar.
READ MORE: Arteta shares Solskjaer verdict after escaping Man Utd position with Arsenal