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Arsenal’s busy summer
Arsenal have had a fairly active summer transfer window in which they brought in six older players.
All of these players were also under 24 at the time of signing and looking to represent smart companies in North London.
At Aaron Ramsdale, it looks like they’ve already found their new # 1 goalie for years to come.
Martin Odegaard is, of course, an extremely creative actor who still has the potential to develop further.
Albert Sambi Lokonga also seems poised for a bright future in the heart of the Arsenal midfielder, although he may still be a year away from being ready to start week after week.
Elsewhere, while he was a somewhat underrated signing at the time, Takehiro Tomiyasu has already established himself as Arsenal’s new No. 1 right-back and his standout performances would lead to him being named the Gunners Player of the Month in September.
Ready to go ????
tomiyasu.t on Instagram pic.twitter.com/hMTBQSk2Ho
– Arsenal (@Arsenal) 1st September 2021
Finally, Ben White now seems to have settled in the Emirates and is starting to form a great partnership with Gabriel as a central defender, while Nuno Tavares is the proper left back cover.
Arsenal ready to sign pre-signed players
While all of the previous players appear to have been solid additions, very few would say that the Arsenal team is perfect.
But, after spending so much money in the summer, it’s hard to imagine, though not impossible, that North Londoners will have huge amounts of cash floating around this winter.
So what Arsenal should do in January is try to sign multiple players for pre-contract deals. A pre-contractual agreement can be reached when a player is within the last six months of his current contract and means that said player would sign for his new club on a free transfer at the end of the season.
However, clubs can only sign pre-contract agreements with players when that player is not currently practicing their trade in their league.
So in Arsenal’s case, they can’t pre-sign Premier League players who are expected to become free agents in the summer of 2022.
Despite that, there are still plenty of players Arsenal can sign to pre-signed deals in January to secure them for three in the summer of 2022.
Here are four players 101 they think they should aim.
Andrea Bellotti
Arsenal could have to deal with its own pre-contract issue in 2022.
Alexandre Lacazette is currently in the final year of his contract with Arsenal and recent reports suggest that he will not sign a new contract.
So it looks like the Gunners will have to replace the Frenchman in the future.
One player Arsenal could certainly do with is Italy and Turin striker Andre Bellotti.
Finding a high-quality center forward who can score more than 20 goals per season is quite a difficult task in itself, but at Bellotti, Arsenal could do it for free.
The forward is a few years younger than Lacazette at 27 and, although he has never played in the Premier League, his return from the goal for Turin is superb.
In 231 starts he has scored 106 and assisted 26, and as Turin is not a team to challenge Europe, Arsenal shouldn’t have much trouble convincing Bellotti to join them.
Turin, Italy – November 29: Andrea Belotti of Torino FC looks dejected during the TIM Cup match between Torino FC and Carpi FC on November 29, 2017 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino / Getty Images)
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Franck Kessie
The next Arsenal player to sign a pre-contract in January is expected to be Franck Kessie.
Although Lokonga is one for the future, Arsenal could probably still need another high-quality central midfielder on their books, especially given the injuries and disciplinary record of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka.
And in Kessie, the Gunners would probably have the perfect option. At 24 he is still quite young, but the Ivorian has a lot of experience and has proven to be a very competent defensive midfielder at the highest level.
The main problem with the signing of Kessie, however, is that AC Milan are currently a Champions League team, so the midfielder may see Arsenal as a setback.
And also, some big clubs like Manchester United and FC Barcelona seem to be interested in Kessie’s services.
Alessio Romagnoli
The next player Arsenal are expected to be looking to sign is another AC Mian star, Alessio Romagnoli.
Again, given that Milan is a Champions League club and Arsenal may not have European football next season it may make this deal more difficult, but isn’t it worth it? Especially when it is suggested that Milan are looking to offer the 26-year-old just half his current salary to sign a new contract.
Romagnoli is a strong and composed leader of AC Milan and would add a great deal of quality to the Gunners’ results.
And while Arsenal already have a plethora of central defender options, Arsenal fans would surely prefer Romagnoli, White and Gabriel to be their top three central defenders, with William Saliba moving slowly next season.
Sure, Rob Holding and potentially Calum Chambers should be sold to make room, but is anyone really suggesting that Holding, while a decent player, is better than Romagnoli?
Denis Zakaria
The last player Arsenal should be targeting is Denis Zakaria.
We’ve already talked about how Arsenal could probably bring in another seasoned central midfielder ASAP and even though he’s only 24 years old, Zakaria could be that man.
The Swiss international is currently exercising his trade with Borussia Mönchengladbach. But the German team has shrunk a bit lately and as a result, Zakaria may be more open to a trade from Arsenal now that his current team is no longer a Champions League team.
Zakaria too, of course, has already played alongside Arsenal’s Xhaka for his country, suggesting that he may need less time to enter the team.
Read more:
3 Arsenal players Newcastle United could target in January
This article was edited by
Ben browning.
Arsenal betting odds, next game:
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Odds: Result, Both Teams To Score, Correct Score and Goalscorer
| Arsenal vs Crystal Palace Result / Both Teams To Score | Yes | no |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 13/5 | 13/8 |
| crystal Palace | 1/10 | 17/2 |
| Draw | 4/1 | 9/1 |
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HIGHLIGHTS | Arsenal against Everton (3-0) | WSL | McCabe, Wubben-Moy, Maanum
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Premier League table
| # | Team | deputy | D | P |
| 1 | Chelsea FC | 7 | 12 | 16 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 7 | 11 | 15 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 7 | 11 | 14 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 7 | 8 | 14 |
| 5 | Everton FC | 7 | 5 | 14 |
| 6 | Brighton y Hove Albion | 7 | 3 | 14 |
| 7 | Brentford FC | 7 | 4 | 12 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 | -4 | 12 |
| 9 | West Ham United | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| Dix | Aston Villa | 7 | 1 | Dix |
| 11 | Arsenal FC | 7 | -5 | Dix |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 7 | -1 | 9 |
| 13 | The city of Leicester | 7 | -3 | 8 |
| 14 | crystal Palace | 7 | -3 | 7 |
| 15 | Watford FC | 7 | -3 | 7 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 7 | -7 | 6 |
| 17 | Southampton FC | 7 | -5 | 4 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 7 | -6 | 3 |
| 19 | Newcastle United | 7 | -8 | 3 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 7 | until 14 | 1 |
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| Player | Team | Buts |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Vardy, Jamie | The city of Leicester | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 5 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 4 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton y Hove Albion | 4 |
| Sarr, Ishmael | Watford FC | 4 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 3 |
| Benrahma says | West Ham United | 3 |
| Hijo, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominica | Everton FC | 3 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Hwang, Hee-chan | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 3 |
| Green wood, bricklayer | Manchester United | 3 |
| Doucouré, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 2 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red cards | Yellow cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 4 |
| Skip, Olivier | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 4 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Doucouré, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 3 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Norgaard, cristiano | Brentford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 3 |
| Veltman, Joel | Brighton y Hove Albion | 0 | 3 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Djenépo, Moussa | Southampton FC | 0 | 3 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 0 | 1 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton y Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Jiménez, Raúl | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 2 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | crystal Palace | 0 | 2 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ward Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 1 | 1 |
| Player | Team | PAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Doucouré, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 4 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Benrahma says | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Jiménez, Raúl | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Azpilicueta, Cesar | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Crudo, Pascal | Brighton y Hove Albion | 2 |
| Rey, Joshua | Watford FC | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | The city of Leicester | 2 |
| Alexandre-Arnold, Trento | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 2 |
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