Arsenal Transfer News Roundup: Gunners eyeing Arthur Vermeeren; club advised to sign Santiago Gimenez, and more - November 2, 2023
Arsenal stumbled to a 3-1 defeat to West Ham United at London Stadium on Wednesday (November 1) in the EFL Cup Round of 16. Martin Odegaard's goal proved to be a mere consolation as Mikel Arteta’s team's run in the tournament ended.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are interested in Antwerp midfielder Arthur Vermeeren. Elsewhere, the north London side have been advised to sign Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez instead of Brentford's Ivan Toney.
On that note, here's a look at the jey Arsenal transfer stories as on November 2, 2023:
Arsenal eyeing Arthur Vermeeren
Arsenal are interested in Arthur Vermeeren, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
The Belgian midfielder has caught the eye with Royal Antwerp of late and has turned heads at the Emirates. Arteta invested heavily on Declan Rice this summer but is in the market for a new midfielder in 2024.
On The Ranks FC podcast, Jones said that Vermeeren could be the perfect foil for Rice and would cost around £15-20 million.
“There’s a lot around this player. The reason I’ve been writing about Vermeeren is in an Arsenal sense. Arsenal are looking for a defensive midfielder in 2024 to give Declan Rice a bit more freedom and allow him to get box-to-box and show his capabilities going forwards,” said Jones.
He continued:
“They want a long-term prospect alongside him for that to happen and my understanding was that Vermeeren was one of the guys they were looking at to do that. His transfer fee won’t be that ridiculous, you’re looking at £15-20m for this guy. It feels like a failproof signings, he’s too good to fail.”
The Belgian could also be a solid replacement for Thomas Partey, who could leave next year.
Gunners advised to sign Santiago Gimenez
Journalist Graeme Bailey has advised Arsenal to sign Santiago Gimenez instead of Ivan Toney.
The Brentford striker is a target for Arteta ahead of January, with the Spanish manager eager to add a new No. 9 to his roster. Gimenez, meanwhile, has caught the eye after exploding into the scene with Feyenoord last season.
On The Talking Transfer podcast, Bailey insisted that the Mexican would be a cheaper alternative to Toney.
“Gimenez is one to watch out for Arsenal as well, we know Ivan Toney is the one who’s been linked, but Gimenez would be much cheaper in terms of wages than Toney. So is the deal more expensive? Possibly not. He will be on the agenda of an awful lot of teams come the summer,” Bailey said.
He continued:
“I don’t think we’ll see Gimenez leave in January, but we have seen reports that he’ll be available for €40m, if that is the case, he will leave in January, but I think the chances of Feyenoord letting one of the best players in Europe leave for €40m, I don’t see it myself.”
Gimenez has 15 goals and three assists in 12 games across competitions for the Dutch side this season.
Jakub Kiwior was wanted by Sevilla in the summer
Sevilla wanted Jakub Kiwior in the summer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
The Polish defender moved to the Emirates at the start of the year from Spezia Calcio and has been a decent squad option. The Spanish giants were among the clubs interested in his services earlier this year.
In his column for Caught Offside, said added that the Gunners were not ready to let the 23-year-old go.
“Sevilla were interested in the Polish defender, it’s true, and there was also an unnamed Italian club keen on signing him. But Arsenal always wanted Jakub to stay and be part of the rotations this season, so there was never a concrete chance of leaving the club,” wrote Romano.
Kiwior has covered at left-back as well as centre-back this season for the north London side.