Ten Hag delight as Fabrizio Romano rules Arsenal out of race for devastating Man Utd forward target
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag will be ecstatic after Fabrizio Romano revealed how Arsenal are not in the running to land one of his top attacking targets.
Ten Hag already has a strong attack which includes players such as Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho and Wout Weghorst. Rashford has been the standout performer for Man Utd in the final third this season, bagging 24 goals in 40 games and making it his most successful personal campaign ever.
However, there is an obvious hole in the Man Utd attack. Weghorst, who was brought in by Ten Hag to help replace centre-forward Cristiano Ronaldo, is not an out-and-out goalscorer. Indeed, he has managed just one strike in 14 appearances so far.
Ten Hag playing him as a central attacking midfielder in some games will not help. But it is obvious that Man Utd need a world-class striker to replace Weghorst if they are to catch up with the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City next term.
Ten Hag is considering a few options. Tottenham talisman Harry Kane is one of them, and there has recently been a big update about his future.
Pundit Alan Hutton believes Tammy Abraham of Roma would be a great capture. He would not need any time to adapt to the English game due to his experience with Chelsea.
Napoli star Victor Osimhen is also on Man Utd’s shortlist. And the 24-year-old appears destined to make a big move to the Premier League in the near future.
During a recent interview, he said: “I’m working so hard to make sure that I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League some day.”
Fabrizio Romano refutes Arsenal claim
Man Utd recently discovered that Arsenal are leading the race for Osimhen’s services. On Monday, Italian journalist Ciro Venerato claimed the Gunners to be the best-placed club to capture him.
But Ten Hag and Man Utd will share delight after Romano weighed in on the situation. In his column for CaughtOffside, he has downplayed the chances of Osimhen becoming part of Mikel Arteta’s squad.
“I don’t have it confirmed, as of now. Arsenal have Gabriel Jesus, [Eddie] Nketiah, [Folarin] Balogun and also, Osimhen’s price tag will be really huge,” he said. “I think Arsenal have different priorities for this summer, including a new midfielder.”
Arsenal not being involved in the pursuit of Osimhen means Man Utd have one less significant transfer rival to worry about. Chelsea may still threaten their bid. Although, there is one big reason why Osimhen could choose Man Utd over the Blues.
Man Utd could have upper hand over Chelsea
He will want to play for a Champions League club when leaving Napoli. Man Utd are in a good position to qualify for next season’s edition of the competition. They currently sit in third place in the Prem.
Chelsea, though, are very unlikely to make the top four. They occupy 10th spot and are 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham with a game in hand.
The only realistic way Chelsea will qualify for the UCL is by winning this year’s competition. They are through to the quarter-finals after overcoming Borussia Dortmund.
However, it would be a major shock if Chelsea did triumph given the quality of some of the other teams who are left. They include Bayern Munich, Osimhen’s Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Manchester City.
If Chelsea finish outside of the top four and do not win the UCL, then Man Utd will be viewed as the frontrunners to snare Osimhen.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag could become unpopular in Amsterdam after his plans to raid Ajax again emerged.
