Mikel Arteta has already revealed why Arsenal are looking to complete £17m transfer in January
Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu could be in for a busy January transfer window despite Arsenal’s impressive start to the 2022/23 campaign.
The club spent around £120million on five new players this summer including Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira, all of whom spearheaded ambitious plans to bolster the squad. However, failed pursuits of both a central midfielder and winger could lead to more activity in the coming months.
Various names such as Douglas Luiz and Danilo continue to do the rounds, with deals for either player remaining a possibility in the winter, football.london understands. Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk is another long-term target and was even considered before Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny picked up injuries ahead of deadline day, though Arsenal are expected to face major competition for his services.
One of the latest links to surface concerns Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder Jesper Lindstrom and despite Arsenal seemingly looking well-equipped in that position, Arteta has previously explained why he could be exactly what the club is looking for.
Speaking about the arrival of the aforementioned Vieira, Arteta said that the player’s ability to play in a number of different positions was a key factor in Arsenal signing him. “We were looking for players that could play in three positions in the frontline and in the attacking midfielder positions,” the Spaniard said.
“We were looking for very specific qualities in the market and when I saw him, I really liked what I saw. Straight away, I was convinced that he was a player who can help us go to the next level and that he had the right personality and character to play for our club.”
Interestingly, although he mainly operates as a No.10, Lindstrom has played in eight other areas throughout his career so far. They include both wings, centre forward, central midfield and defensive midfield. As well as age, quality and attitude, versatility has become another important attribute for Arteta and Edu when it comes to identifying targets. This has been seen most recently with the likes of Zinchenko and Vieira, in particular.
Lindstrom certainly appears to fit the bill and his impressive stint in Germany is seeing him gain plenty of interest. According to Bild via Get German Football News, Arsenal are one of those said to be ‘keeping tabs’ on the 22-year-old and could make a move for him in January. The report adds that contact has already been made with his representatives and a bid of just under €20 million (£17m) could be enough to strike a deal.
The Danish international joined from Brondby last year, where he scored 15 goals and registered 15 assists across 65 appearances. 21 of those goals and assists came in his final season as he helped them secure the Danish Superliga title. Despite a slow start to life at Leverkusen, Lindstrom was named Bundesliga Rookie of the Season following five goals and five assists in 29 league appearances, while he provided a further four assists in the Europa League, a competition his side went on to win.
As for this season, Lindstrom has already racked up three goals in ten appearances despite Leverkusen’s poor run of form. At £17million, it could prove to be a shrewd bit of business that provides plenty of strength in depth to Arteta’s squad.
