Mikel Arteta is set to be looking for attacking reinforcements in the summer. PSV winger Cody Gakpo is high on their list of targets and Arsenal are said to be in a strong position to land his signature.
Dutch international Cody Gakpo has acquired plenty of plaudits for his performances this season. The 22-year-old has been on the radar of some of the biggest clubs in the world and seems set for a move to a high-profile team this summer. He has scored 16 goals and has also assisted 15 times to his teammates in 37 appearances.
With several heavyweights interested in him, Arsenal have emerged as the frontrunners to land the signature of Gakpo. Dutch media group Voetbal International claim that the player is more interested in a move to London compared to Liverpool or Barcelona.
Following the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona in January as well as the expected exits of Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah as free agents this summer, Arteta has been looking for attacking players. The Gunners were heavily linked with Dusan Vlahovic before his high-profile move from ACF Fiorentina to Juventus in the winter transfer window.
If Arsenal were to sign Gakpo, he would be an extremely important and versatile asset for Arteta as the winger can rotate with Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe on the wings and can even be deployed centrally. Although the 22-year-old recently signed a new contract with his current club, it is believed that PRV will listen to offers for him if the right bidder came in.
Gakpo has previously been linked with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich as there were talks between the two parties last summer. He said that although the deal did pique his interest, it didn’t substantiate eventually.
“Obviously, that’s a super big club, it’s nice if you are linked to that. That makes me feel proud. If they had become very concrete, of course you have to think about it seriously,”
he said.
Football pundit Gary Neville, meanwhile, claims that if Arteta was ‘hard’ he would quit Arsenal if they got a Champions League spot without hitting a glass ceiling.
Arsenal’s recent decline has seen them not participating in the Champions League for several years. They have either been in the Europa League or have missed out European football altogether. However, this season, Arteta’s men are the favourites to land the fourth Champions League spot in the Premier League table.
This comes as a huge improvement for a side that finished eighth in the table last season. The Gunners made a flurry of important signings in the summer, which are now paying dividends. However, the North Londoners were once contenders for the Premier League title on a regular basis but are now having to manage expectations. The situation is similar at Manchester United, who have had to contend with several difficulties following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I really like Mikel Arteta, I think he’s a brilliant coach. I think the team is fantastic in terms of the young players they’ve got. But it’s interesting when you’re in a cycle of a club and you depress the ambition and have a significant period of failure because you then get really happy about finishing fourth,”
Neville said on the Overlap.
