It didn't seem like there was a negative spin to be had on the news that Arsenal had put in a first official bid for Mykhaylo Mudryk. Some have managed to find it though.
The potential arrival of the Ukrainian provides another body in the forward areas of a squad that is, by Mikel Arteta's own admission, 'short'. As they took to the field for their Premier League return against West Ham, the Gunners were forced to name exciting youngsters Amario Cozier-Duberry and Marquinhos on a thin looking bench. Mudryk's arrival would solve that.
Of course though, as is often the case with new arrivals, the question emerges as to who's spot in the squad the Ukrainian would take. Given that Arsenal's starting left wingers over the past few seasons have been Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli, many fans have now began anxiously wondering if their places in the starting XI are under threat.
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Prior to the West Ham game on Boxing Day Arsenal had started the same front three of Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka in every single Premier League match. Jesus' injury meant that Eddie Nketiah came in as the centre forward, and this would seem to suggest that Martinelli's future is set to continue on the left. Arteta himself has confirmed that this is where he sees the young Brazilian at his best.
"To score more goals Martinelli has to play on the last line and he needs to play wide, because this is his quality," the Spaniard told Jamie Carragher in an interview earlier this month. With that in mind it's hard to see Mudryk coming in and taking Martinelli's starting spot straight away, even if he does end up costing the record fee that Shakhtar Donetsk are asking for. Those words from Arteta also probably render any suggestions that Martinelli could be shifted centrally to accommodate the Ukrainian star, and given Nketiah's impressive displays there it's hard to see that happening.
That means that the player who is probably more in danger of falling down the pecking order if Mudryk comes is Smith Rowe. The England international has been desperately unlucky with injuries as he seeks to rediscover the form that made him one of Arsenal's most important players at the start of last season.
Perhaps because he's been out for so long though, people have forgotten what a valuable asset Smith Rowe has the potential to be. Last season he became the first Arsenal academy graduate since Cesc Fabregas to hit double figures for goals in a season and if he can rediscover that form when he returns from injury next month, then it will surely be a boost to the Gunners title ambitions.
Most of those goals came from the left wing, meaning the form of Martinelli and the arrival of Mudryk has the potential to be problematic. However, Arteta has stated in the past that he views Smith Rowe as capable of playing a number of roles. "He can play as a left-winger, he can play as a left attacking midfielder, right attacking midfielder and he can play as a 9; very, very well I think," the Spaniard said in February.
Shakhtar are understood to have rejected Arsenal's first bid which means that all this worrying could be in vein. Arsenal though are hopeful of still getting the deal done and with good reason.
What his arrival would offer above anything else is options. Last season as Arsenal fell away in their pursuit of Champions League football, their predictability was their downfall. Eight of their first choice XI have started every single Premier League game this season, and although only Manchester United have managed to beat them, there will come a time when opposition teams find a way to cause Arsenal some serious problems. That's just the nature of elite football and what makes the game so continuously exciting.
With the arrival of Mudryk - who can play on either flank - Arteta is preparing for this inevitable event. A squad containing Mudryk, Martinelli, Saka, Jesus, Nketiah, Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira, Martin Odegaard and more suddenly makes Arsenal very difficult for opposition teams to prepare for. Arteta has told football.london that he wants the "best squad in the world." Signing Mudryk takes him one step closer to achieving that dream.
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