‘Can play in both positions’: Journalist suggests Arsenal will try to sign player similar to £55m Barcelona star
Arsenal could look for a player who is similar to Barcelona star Raphinha in January instead of a new striker to replace Gabriel Jesus.
That’s according to Dharmesh Sheth, who has suggested that the Gunners would rather have a versatile player who could play in multiple positions than an out-and-out centre-forward.
Journalist says Arsenal could try to sign a player similar to Raphinha
Multiple reports claimed last summer that Arsenal made a move to sign Raphinha, who was desperate to leave Leeds United for a bigger club.
Those rumours were later confirmed by Arsenal’s transfer chief Edu Gaspar, who admitted in an interview on Sky Sports that he did have discussions with the winger’s agent Deco about bringing him to the Emirates. Raphinha’s mind, however, was already made up, and he ended up moving to Barcelona for £55 million (Sky Sports).
Sheth has now suggested that Arsenal could look at a player who’s similar to Raphinha instead of splashing big money on a striker who cannot fill in anywhere else on the pitch.
The journalist told GiveMeSport: “Remember, during the summer, they tried to bring in Raphinha, so they wanted to strengthen the forward line not necessarily bring in a striker.
“Maybe they will continue on that vein and think, ‘right, we still want to strengthen the forward line, let’s go in for a winger who maybe can play in the centre as well.’
“Someone who can play in both positions as Gabriel Jesus can do, though we do know that he is basically their number nine.”
Our View:
Jesus’ injury is a massive blow for Arsenal. The Brazilian has arguably been their best player this season, and losing him for a few months could really derail their campaign.
Luckily for the Gunners, the January transfer window is just around the corner, and they’ll have the opportunity to bring in a replacement for Jesus – even if it’s only a temporary one.
Mikel Arteta’s side don’t just need a number nine, they could do with someone who’s good enough to play out wide as well. They don’t really have top-quality backups to Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka at the moment, which is a bit of a concern.
It will be interesting to see what Arsenal will do in January. It remains to be seen if they can find and bring in someone like Raphinha after missing out on him in the summer.
