Cody Gakpo is a player who Arsenal are believed to hold a transfer interest in this summer. However, like all transfers, the Dutchman’s risk factor is related to his current league competition.
The Eredivisie is known for producing some of the best talents. Arsenal themselves have benefitted from several players who have come through the Dutch league such as Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars and Nwankwo Kanu. Although that said both Bergkamp and Kanu made a switch to Serie A first.
However, there have been a number of signings of late to the English top-flight that haven’t worked out. Donny van der Beek famously has struggled to earn regular minutes at Manchester United. Jurgen Locadia scored regularly for PSV but couldn’t get into Brighton’s team. Steven Bergwijn impressed at first with Tottenham but has gradually fallen away from a starting spot.
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Arsenal need to ensure that if they press ahead with the signing of Gakpo for a reported €50 million (£41.7 million) they will get a return on the investment. He has ambitions of playing in England and has even admitted a liking of the Gunners.
"The Premier League is a big league," Gakpo said. "Virgil van Dijk plays there with Liverpool so I like to watch them.
"We are not the same kind of league, but I think we try to look at the Prem and learn about it. Everybody wants to play one time in the Prem. I don’t favour one team, but I like Arsenal a lot. I looked up to [Thierry] Henry when I was younger because he was a tall guy who played on the wing."
Mikel Arteta has however been handed an opportunity to see Gakpo in action against a top Premier League side. PSV were drawn against Leicester City in the UEFA Conference League and therefore Gakpo will likely be up against James Justin or Ricardo Pereira.
Wesley Fofana and Jonny Evans have returned plus Caglar Soyuncu could also be selected. Gakpo will face a serious test that limited Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last weekend. Different to what he has come to expect in the Netherlands.
Should the 22-year-old pass this and the second leg tie next week, Arteta will find himself in a conflicted position. Yes, Gakpo would have given the Spaniard the assurances he needs, but the European stage is sure to draw plenty more interest from abroad and in the UK.
The Athletic reported that Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Barcelona are all admirers of the winger as well as Arsenal. The Gunners will hope the admission from Gakpo regarding his own admiration for Arsenal will give them an edge in possible negotiations.
There is hope that the tall wide forward could even be converted into a devastating centre-forward similar to Thierry Henry. His major goals and assist tally of a combined 31 is very impressive, but the risk remains of the transition to the Premier League mitigating his output. Arteta will not be missing tonight’s match.
