Arsenal face competition from 2 PL clubs in race to sign €35m-rated Red Bull Salzburg star: Reports
Arsenal are reportedly facing competition from Newcastle United and Aston Villa in acquiring the signature of Red Bull Salzburg attacking midfielder Oscar Gloukh. According to CaughtOffside, Salzburg are open to selling the 20-year-old in the January transfer window for €35 million.
Gloukh made a name for himself for Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv before joining Salzburg in January 2023 for a reported fee of €7 million. He is contracted with the Austrian club until the summer of 2027.
The Israel international has impressed ever since, scoring 16 goals and providing 23 assists in 71 appearances across all competitions for Salzburg. He also helped them win the 2022-23 Austrian Bundesliga. His feats have also reportedly caught the attention of several other top European sides, including Manchester City, Bayer Leverkusen, and Atletico Madrid.
Gloukh is allegedly open to a move to the Premier League and could be an excellent signing for Arsenal. The Gunners have struggled without Martin Odegaard's creativity in midfield since the latter suffered a serious ankle injury last month - a void that could be filled by Gloukh.
"Now we have to win again" - Mikel Arteta urges Arsenal to step up ahead of Shakhtar Donetsk clash following Bournemouth loss
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has urged his players to return to winning ways during his pre-match press conference. The Gunners are set to face Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, October 22.
Arsenal suffered their first defeat in 17 matches across competitions - for the first time in six months. This occurred after they lost 2-0 to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in their Premier League clash over the weekend. William Saliba's 30th-minute red card did the Gunners no favors as Ryan Christie (70') and Justin Kluivert (79' (P)) scored one goal apiece to hand the Cherries the win.
Arteta explained what his message to his side was following the Bournemouth loss, saying (via Arsenal's official website):
"Very clear, we put a bit of perspective into the situation. Obviously we want to win in any context. The reality is we made that context very difficult for ourselves. It was very difficult already with the amount of players that we had out, the schedule and the games that we had to play, but that’s the reality."
He added:
"For that game we didn’t get away with it. We could’ve done and it would’ve been a very different narrative. The reality is we didn’t and now the context is that we have lost one game in six months. Ok, now we have to win again with the context that we have lost for the first time in six months, so let’s show it."
The Gunners are currently 13th in the UCL standings with four points from two games, two points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund.