Arsenal will be busy planning not only for the upcoming transfer window but the long-term future of the club. Newly promoted sporting director Edu will be looking at where the squad can be upgraded but also the potential players that will need to be replaced.
At 29 years of age, Thomas Partey is one of the most senior members of the squad and will go into the next season in his 30s. The deep midfield position remains an area in need of reinforcement now and football.london understands that Danilo of Palmeiras is a player Arsenal looked at in the summer and could return for this winter.
That said, the Brazilian remains a prospective talent and is likely to replace Mohamed Elneny or Albert Sambi Lokonga in the squad’s midfield slots. Both have an uncertain future with the club with contracts ending and regular game time in question.
However, the recent upheaval at transfer rivals Juventus could open a door for Arsenal to exploit the uncertainty of the club’s future. Yesterday it was revealed that the entire board of the Serie A club including president Andrea Agnelli resigned.
The decision came following a fourth-placed Serie A finish and a £220million loss, a record for the country. The loss could incur pressure to sell players, especially considering an investigation is ongoing concerning the transfer of players between 2019 and 2021.
Within that period, Juve beat Arsenal to one key midfield target, Manuel Locatelli. Sassuolo agreed to a two-year loan deal with an obligatory purchase clause of £29.8million despite reported bids of a higher value from the Gunners.
Speaking to La Gazzetta di Modena, Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali said: “Arsenal offered us €40million (£34.1million), but Locatelli’s desire was to go only to Juventus, and we did everything to please him.”
It seems pleasing him included accepting a rather strange deal in comparison to what Arsenal were willing to pay. Locatelli could, however, be one of the most saleable assets of the side, and with prior interest which some outlets even claimed extended into his time with the Bianconeri according to Calciomercato.
Now 24, Locatelli would be entering his prime as Partey begins to exit his. It could be the perfect timing of a deal to see the transition from one deep midfielder to another, but January could come too soon for a move with a potential for a deal as the dust clears in Turin next summer.
