Arsenal Transfer News Roundup: Gunners want Kalvin Phillips, club not eying Aaron Hickey, and more - September 26, 2023
Arsenal will face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium in their EFL Cup opener on Wednesday (September 27). Mikel Arteta will be keen to pick up a win to continue his side's strong start to the season.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are interested in Kalvin Phillips. Elsewhere, the north London side haven't made any advances to sign Aaron Hickey yet.
On that note, let's take a look at the major Arsenal transfer news from September 26, 2023.
Arsenal want Kalvin Phillips
Arsenal are planning a move for Kalvin Phillips, according to Fichajes. The English midfielder arrived at Manchester City last summer after impressing with Leeds United. However, he has failed to replicate that form with the Premier League champions. The Citizens are unconvinced with the 27-year-old and are planning to let him leave. Phillips could also be eying a move in January in search for regular football to ensure his participation at Euro 2024.
The Gunners have emerged as an option. Mikel Arteta is looking for Jorginho's replacement, with the player out of contract in the summer of 2024. The Italian could be offloaded in January and the Spanish manager could move for Phillips to take his place.
Gunners not eying Aaron Hickey
Arsenal are not working to sign Aaron Hickey, according to acclaimed journalist Fabrizio Romano. The Scottish full-back has earned rave reviews with his performances for Brentford and has been linked with the Gunners of late.
However, in his column for Caught Offside, Romano has rubbished those talks.
"Finally, there’s been speculation about Arsenal and other clubs keeping tabs on Brentford full-back Aaron Hickey. I’m not aware of anything concrete yet, I think it’s just a case of scouting players but clubs like Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool scout like 100 players around the world," wrote Romano.
He continued:
“I think Hickey is very talented, he was already an excellent full-back at Bologna and a very professional guy so I’m not surprised that there’s now speculation about him as he could certainly be good enough to get a big move at some point, but I’m not aware of anything concrete happening now.”
The 21-year-old fits the mould of talented young footballers that Mikel Arteta has targeted since taking charge at the Emirates.
Arsenal backed to target Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
Arsenal could be a suitable destination for Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, according to transfer insider Dean Jones. The English youngster has gone from strength to strength since arriving at Borussia Dortmund and has been compared to Jadon Sancho.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones pointed out that Brynoe-Gittens' representatives have a lot of Gunners players on their books, which could work to the club's advantage.
"Bynoe-Gittens is a really interesting link but Germany has been good for him in terms of getting out into a new environment and learning about himself and how football is perceived away from England at such a young age," said Jones.
He continued:
"I don’t think it helped that he was labelled as their new Sancho but Arsenal would be a suitable fit if he wants to come back to England, if nothing more than the fact his representatives also have a few of Arsenal’s biggest players on their books."
However, Jones added that the youngster is unlikely to be a priority for the north London side right now.
"At the moment I’m not convinced this is top of Arsenal’s priority list but we know they are on the lookout for new alternatives out wide and as such I do think this is one to just keep an eye on for now. It’s also worth noting that Chelsea also have an eye on him if and when he looks for a return to England," said Jones.
Dortmund are likely to demand a premium fee for their prized asset.