Arsenal Transfer News Roundup: Gunners leading race to sign Real Madrid midfielder; club have recall option in Charlie Patino contract, and more - September 14, 2022
Arsenal are atop the Premier League standings, leading holders Manchester City by a point. Mikel Arteta's wards, who have won five of their six games, will next face Brentford on Sunday (September 18).
The Gunners were scheduled to face PSV in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday (September 15), but the game has been postponed to October 20 due to the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are leading the race to sign a Real Madrid midfielder. Elsewhere, the north London side have a recall option in Charlie Patino's loan deal. On that note, here's a look at the key Arsenal transfer stories from September 14, 2022.
Arsenal leading race to sign Marco Asensio
Arsenal are leading the race to sign Marco Asensio in January, according to Todo Fichajes via Caught Offside.
The Spaniard has struggled for opportunities at Real Madrid, making just two appearances off the bench this season. With his contract expiring next summer, Asensio is eager to leave in search of greener pastures.
#RealMadrid
Marco Asensio was furious today as he wasn’t playing against Mallorca. Carlo Ancelotti: “Asensio’s anger for not playing? I agree with him, so I’ll keep it in mind” ⚪️⚠️ #RealMadrid
Asensio’s contract expires in June 2023. https://t.co/05p7SOYMQi
The Gunners are plotting to take advantage of the situation and prise him away from the Santiago Bernabeu.
Arteta is a long-term admirer of the 26-year-old and has had conversations with the player regarding a move to the Emirates. Asensio has endured persistent injury woes with Los Blancos but could be an asset for the north London side if he stays fit. He could be available for €25 million in January.
Gunners have recall option in Charlie Patino contract
Arsenal have the option to recall Charlie Patino from his loan deal in January, according to Football London.
The Gunners are enduring a shortage of midfielders due to injury and could look to address the issue in the winter. One option available to Arteta is Patino, whose loan spell with Blackpool could be cut short at the turn of the year.
#AFC | Charlie Patino is back in first-team training with Blackpool, Head Coach Michael Appleton has confirmed.
“Charlie has returned to training and had a couple of sessions now,” https://t.co/KedpA2aeIT
The youngster completed a temporary move to the Championship side this summer and won the Man of the Match award in his first League Cup start. He subsequently picked up an injury but is expected to make a return to action this week. Patino is highly regarded at the Emirates and Arteta could be tempted to indulge in him in January if things fail to improve.
Charles Watts reveals Thomas Partey is close to return from injury
Journalist Charles Watts has said that Thomas Partey could return to action for Arsenal this weekend. The Ivorian has been sidelined since the third game of the season due to a thigh injury.
However, on his YouTube channel, Watts said that Partey returned to full training last week and would have been available for the Everton game. He said:
"The good news is, as far as I’m aware, Thomas Partey is going to be available for this game against Brentford, and Mikel Arteta is going to have to make a decision on it at the end of this week. But from what I understand, Thomas Partey returned to training – full training – towards the end of last week. He felt like he would have been available to play against Everton had it been on."
Watts added that unless there's a setback this week, the Ghana international should be involved against Brentford.
"But he’s had an extra week of training now, and so I can’t see why he wouldn’t be involved unless he has some sort of setback between now and the end of the week, obviously," Watts added. "But if everything goes to plan, and he stays fit, and he has another week’s training, I don’t see why he wouldn’t be involved against Brentford. So that’s good news for Arsenal."
Partey's return would be a welcome relief to Arteta.