27-year-old midfielder previously linked with Arsenal move joins Ligue 1 club on free transfer
Portuguese midfielder and Arsenal target Xeka has joined Ligue 1 outfit Stade Rennais on a free transfer.
The player became a free agent at the start of the season after his contract with LOSC Lille expired. He spent four seasons with the French club, making 144 appearances.
[#MercatoSRFC]
๐ซ๐ฒ๐ธ๐ฎ ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐ถ๐ฟ ! โ
Le milieu de terrain portugais de 27 ans sโengage avec le SRFC pour une durรฉe de 2 saisons. ๐ดโซ
Bienvenue Xeka ! ๐ช
The Portuguese, who signed a two-year contract with Rennais, is a versatile player who can adapt to different roles across the middle of the park. According to 90min, he was a target for Mikel Arteta after several players from the north London-based club suffered injuries at the start of the season.
Thomas Partey's fitness has been a point of concern for the Gunners. While the Ghanaian returned to action during Arsenal's 3-0 away win against Brentford this past weekend, his availability over the course of the season is still questionable.
Mohamed Elneny has also suffered an injury and the Egyptian has been sidelined since his team's clash against Fulham due to a thigh problem.
The club were keen to secure a last-minute move for Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz. However, Steven Gerrard's side managed to hold on to the Brazilian.
Amidst the prevalent issues, Arteta was keen to add depth to his squad's midfield and considered Xeka an option. However, with the player now securing a move to Stade Rennais, it will be interesting to see whether the Gunners aim for a new player in the January transfer window.
Former Chelsea defender slams Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for his handling of Ethan Nwaneri
A piece of Premier League history was created this past weekend as the 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri made his debut for Arsenal in the final moments of their 3-0 win against Brentford. He became the youngest ever player to feature in a Premier League match.
Former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy was not happy with the Spaniard's handling of the youngster as he said on talkSPORT:
"Arteta doesnโt care about the boy. I think thatโs a really poor decision. Itโs about Arteta all about Arteta. The manager that played the youngest ever player in the Premier League is me. I think thatโs self-indulgent. When I saw the kid on the bench I thought that was great for him. What a brilliant experience for the kid."
Cundy continued to explain why he didn't like the player coming on at the stoppage time:
"When I saw him warming up I thought this is ridiculous. This has got nothing to do with the kid this is all about Arteta, all about him, look what Iโve done."
The win over the Bees kept Arsenal at the top of the table with 18 points from seven games.