Arsenal were competing with Chelsea for the in-demand striker, Victor Osimhen, but they have decided to step back from this transfer saga. Reports are suggesting that the Gunners have found an alternative. The Gunners are reportedly going for the Atalanta winger, Ademola Lookman.
Recently, Lookman played in the UEFA Super Cup. Although Gasperini’s Atalanta drowned against the lightning-fast counterattack of Real Madrid, Lookman caught everyone’s attention with his performance. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes that he will be the perfect player for their system.
Till now, Ademola Lookman has had a difficult career because he was considered a flop in the Premier League, playing for teams like Everton, Fulham, and Leicester City. Later, he joined Bundesliga club, RB Leipzig. There, he flourished as a player, and Atalanta later signed him on a permanent deal.
Arsenal’s Lookman transfer saga
From being a Premier League reject to scoring a hat-trick in the final of the Europa League, it has never been an easy job for the Nigerian winger. He kept on improving his game and decision-making abilities. In the Europa final, Lookman single-handedly thrashed Bayer Leverkusen.
After watching these incidents, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has identified him as the ‘perfect alternative’ to Victor Osimhen. The Gunners reportedly got to know that Chelsea and Napoli are on the verge of completing a swap deal between Romelu Lukaku and Victor Osimhen.
According to the Mirror, Arsenal were willing to pay £84.9 million for the Napoli striker. Although this transfer fee is less than the release-clause for Osimhen, this deal is not about money. Chelsea and Napoli are in search of perfect number nines for their systems. There is no doubt that new Napoli, boss Antonio Conte, wanted Romelu Lukaku. On the other hand, Chelsea need a proper goal-scoring number nine.
It is being said that Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna will fly to London to wrap up the deal between Osimhen and Chelsea. Both the clubs have already agreed to a deal for Romelu Lukaku. Seeing such strong communications going on between Chelsea and Napoli, Arsenal have decided not to get involved in this transfer saga.
A new chapter for Arsenal
Recently, Arsenal have signed Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori, and they want to keep on buying new players. Now they are pursuing Atalanta’s star winger, Ademola Lookman. Even though such new signings add value to the squad, these new signings are suppressing homegrown talents. If Lookman comes to Arsenal, young players like Eddie Nketiah and even Gabriel Martinelli might lose his place with the first team.
Homegrown talent like Emile Smith Rowe also left Arsenal this summer and joined Fulham. This is certainly not good news for the Gunners. The younger players will get a bad impression from this incident. After Emile Smith Rowe, Arsenal are losing another academy graduate to a Premier League rival, as Lewis Brown is going to join West Ham United.
The Hammers have recently appointed Julen Lopetegui as their new manager. He is building a new project at West Ham. According to multiple reports, the Spaniard wants reinforcements in two major positions. One in the centre-back position, and another in the left-back position. So, West Ham are desperate to sign the young Arsenal academy product to reinforce their backline. On top of that, the Hammers need a backup for Emerson Palmieri in the left-back position as well.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is losing the most talented players from the academy. The fans are unhappy about this fact. With this current transfer strategy, Arsenal can win the Premier League title, but this strategy will not be effective for a long-term project. A few years later, the Gunners might stumble again. In such a tough scenario, a club has to rely on it’s academy’s talents. However, as it appears that the club is heading into the right direction under Mikel Arteta, there is still plenty of time for the Gunners to do the right thing.
For more sports updates, make sure to follow us on:
