Emmanuel Petit believes former club Arsenal should make a shock double move for Bayern Munich stars Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka.
The Gunners made the big-money signing of Declan Rice in the summer, eventually agreeing a £105million deal with West Ham, and the England star has shone in the first few months of his career in north London.
However, Arsenal are still considering a move for a midfielder in the January transfer window, with Thomas Partey set to miss the rest of 2023 at least as he faces as he remains on the sidelines with a thigh injury.
Should Arsenal dip into the market, Petit, who played for the Gunners for three seasons, has urged the club to be bold and try and persuade two of Bayern's key midfielders to make the move to the Premier League.
“In my opinion, this is a team that needs experience.," Petit told Compare.bet.
"I know they want to buy young players with room to improve and I can understand that, but I think they need players that know how to win and have experience in big games.
“The main two players I would target if I was Arsenal would be Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka. They are both incredible players with huge experience who have both been at Bayern for a while and would maybe like a new challenge.
"Goretzka has played at such a high level for so long and is still only 28, and I think Kimmich would be great for Arsenal, even if the price tag may be a bit expensive.”
Kimmich will have 18 months remaining on his Bayern contract when the January window opens, with Goreztka tied down until the summer of 2026, and the Bundesliga side are unlikely to want to lose either of the German internationals, who are both 28.
Arsenal could have to look closer to hope for midfield reinforcements, with Petit suggesting Aston Villa have two players who would be a hit in north London.
He said: "Both Douglas Luiz and John McGinn would suit Arsenal perfectly too. McGinn has been consistently so good for so long, so energetic, can score goals and defend. I think he’s extremely underrated."
