Arsenal Transfer News Roundup: Gunners plotting reunion with former player; club turned down chance to sign PSG star, and more - 16 February 2022
Arsenal are preparing for a busy summer this year. The north London side invested heavily in the market last year, and are expected to indulge in new buys this summer as well.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are plotting a reunion with a former star who currently plays for Bayern Munich. Elsewhere, the Premier League side turned down the chance to sign a PSG striker in January.
On that note, here's a look at the key Arsenal transfer stories as on 16th February 2022:
Arsenal plotting Serge Gnabry return
Arsenal are plotting a return for their former player Serge Gnabry, according to The Sun. The German international has evolved into one of the most feared attackers in Europe since joining Bayern Munich. So the Gunners are planning to bring him back to the Emirates.
The 26-year-old joined the north London side as a teenager in 2011, and was integrated into the youth team. However, his transition to the first team was not too smooth. After failing to impress, Gnabry was offloaded to Werder Bremen in 2016. A year later, he earned a move to the Allianz Arena.
Since then, the German has grown in leaps and bounds, leaving the Premier League giants wondering what might have been. The 26-year-old has registered 59 goals in 155 games across competitions for the Bavarians.
However, his current deal with Bayern Munich expires next summer, and Gnabry is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal. Arsenal are hoping to secure his services on a cut-price deal this year.
Arsenal could be set to bring Bayern Munich superstar Serge #Gnabry back to the Emirates Stadium. Gnabry has said in the past that he would entertain a move back to Arsenal one day – calling them "the favourite" for his signature of any Premier League side should he return. #Afc https://t.co/q7aUUkBM9J
The north London side want to add more firepower to their faltering attack at the end of the season. Manager Mikel Arteta has offloaded Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January. Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah, meanwhile, are also expected to leave this summer. So Arteta is eager to unleash a new-look attack next season, and wants Gnabry on his roster.
Prising the 26-year-old away from Bavaria won't be easy, though. Gnabry has enjoyed a lot of success with Bayern Munich over the years, and might need some convincing to move to the Emirates.
However, he might feel he has some unfinished business with the Gunners, and could be tempted to join Arteta's revolution at the Emirates.
Mikel Arteta turned down chance to sign Mauro Icardi
Arsenal passed the chance to sign PSG striker Mauro Icardi in the winter, according to The Hard Tackle via The Athletic. The north London side were afforded the opportunity to swap the Argentinean striker with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, Arteta opted not to take the offer.
The Athletic report Arsenal had the opportunity to explore an exchange deal for Aubameyang with Icardi. It did not develop because #Arsenal were clear on the targets they wanted to pursue & if none materialised, they would stick with existing options until the end of the season. https://t.co/5xirtbS9E0
The Gunners were desperately looking for a new striker in January. However, their primary target Dusan Vlahovic joined Juventus instead. Moves for Alvaro Morata and Alexander Isak also didn't materialise.
The Premier League giants were offered the chance to sign Icardi, but Arteta didn't want to sign the Argentinean. The Spaniard instead opted to have faith in the current options at his disposal.
Rio Ferdinand slams Gunners duo
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand tore into Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Magalhaes for their lack of discipline.
The Swiss international has picked up four red cards since joining the Gunners in 2016. Meanwhile, Magalhaes has also received his marching order twice since his arrival in north London in 2020.
Speaking on the Vive with Five podcast, Ferdinand said that a lack of discipline and a tendency to be rash have been the reasons for their doom.
"Both. Lack of discipline. You've got to have sometimes a trigger in your mind that when you're going in for a tackle 'is this the right time or not?' That separates the top players a lot of the time from the okay, good players. If you can't rely on people, they're worthless. Don't have them," said Ferdinand.