Arsenal plot surprise move for €10m-rated Southampton talent: Reports
According to a report by Fichajes.net (via Four Four Two), Arsenal are plotting a surprise move for Southampton's Shea Charles. The 21-year-old is currently on loan with Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, where he has been impressive so far.
The move for the midfielder would be the first since the club parted ways with sporting director Edu Gaspar and could signal the beginning of a transfer policy dominated by Mikel Arteta.
Charles has already represented his nation, Northern Ireland, 23 times. He was recently hailed by his national team manager Michael O'Neill, who said (via Four Four Two):
“Shea is a player who since we put him in the team has taken an enormous amount of responsibility.”
Arsenal already have a top-tier midfield contingent, with Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, and Mikel Merino being covered by Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Jorginho. However, with Charles valued at around €10 million, he could prove a cheap option to provide more depth to the north London side.
“Likes to play games with the opposition" - Arsenal star says Mikel Arteta enjoys playing mind games
Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko has claimed that Mikel Arteta enjoys playing mind games with opposition managers to distract them. The Ukraine international made the claim in his latest book, Believe.
Zinchenko worked with the Spanish tactician at Manchester City, where Arteta began his career as an assistant to Pep Guardiola before being given the hot seat at the Emirates Stadium. Zinchenko signed for the Gunners in the summer of 2022 for a reported €35 million fee and has played under Arteta 73 times.
In his book, Zinchenko wrote:
“(Arteta) likes to play games with the opposition... seen him tell injured players to come on the team bus and walk into the dressing room with their wash bag, to put the other manager off the scent.”
The Spanish tactician has never denied his penchant for psychological warfare. He recently said (via The Daily Cannon):
“I don’t want to make it easy for anyone. The opponent has to make sure they do their homework — like I have to. When I know, I am not going to lie to you, I am not going to say, ‘He’s not fit’ and then I play him — I would never do that — but, if I am certain or I don’t want to tell you, I will keep you guessing.”
Arteta has helped Arsenal become one of the best teams in the English Premier League in recent seasons. In the previous two seasons, his efforts saw the side mount the closest challenge to his former employers and four-time reigning champions Manchester City.