Your morning Arsenal digest on Monday, May 22.
Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke takes key step to secure blockbuster £92m transfer
Arsenal are gearing up for a big summer in the transfer window having lost out on the Premier League title to Manchester City.
The Gunners' 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday sealed City their third Premier League title in a row despite Arsenal holding an eight-point advantage only a couple of months ago. Arsenal will go again next season having hopefully strengthened their ranks with world-class talent.
Declan Rice is a top target for Arsenal, with a new midfielder on the agenda having missed out on Brighton & Hove Albion star Moises Caicedo in January. The Express, via the Daily Telegraph, reports that Kroenke has 'signed off' a £92m move for Rice with the owner ready to stump up a lot of the fee up front instead of paying most of the money in instalments.
READ NEXT: Man Utd £17m transfer target wrong about Arsenal and Liverpool as Mikel Arteta proves it
Man City could hand Arsenal double transfer blow
Manchester City could deliver a major blow to Arsenal's hopes of signing Joao Cancelo in order to engineer a swap deal with Bayern Munich. The 28-year-old defender has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium lately, with the German giants seemingly unlikely to keep him on a permanent basis as things stand.
Cancelo joined the Bavarians on loan in January in search of greater first-team opportunities after he was dropped for Rico Lewis, but his time at the Allianz Arena hasn't quite gone to plan. The Portugal international has featured 14 times for Bayern in the Bundesliga this term, directly contributing towards five goals.
While Cancelo has continued to showcase his excellent ability, the German giants have been knocked out of both the DFB Pokal and the Champions League since his arrival. Meanwhile, his parent club, City, have just won a fifth Premier League title in six years and they still have two major finals yet to play.
Mikel Arteta told which Arsenal star he should have utilised more to beat Man City to the title
Tony Adams has slammed Mikel Arteta for his reluctance to rotate the Arsenal squad this season, claiming that Emile Smith Rowe in particular should have played a greater role. The 22-year-old midfielder missed a large majority of the Gunners' title campaign through injury though, but even upon his return he was hardly ever thrown into the starting line-up.
Smith Rowe, who sees his contract at the Emirates Stadium expire in 2026, has featured just 11 times in the Premier League this term – and all of which have come from off the bench. He enjoyed a spectacular vein of form towards the end of last season but he's recently been reduced to cameo displays.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Gunners captain claimed that Arteta only has himself to blame for the north Londoners' poor form of late. Adams said: "We’ve depended on Martinelli and Saka for most of the season.
"To give them a rest now and again, they could have given Emile a bit more air time for me. He could have subbed Martinelli and let him play off the left-hand side.
READ NEXT:
Tierney's reaction to sub, Saka anger with Partey - Arsenal moments missed vs Nottingham Forest
Arsenal player ratings vs Nottingham Forest as Partey and Kiwior experiment fails, Trossard poor
Every word Mikel Arteta said on title race disappointment, Partey at right back and Man City gap
Joao Cancelo to Arsenal takes shape as Mikel Arteta agent relations give Gunners priority
Arsenal news and transfer LIVE: All the latest updates from the Emirates Stadium
