Unai Emery has provided Mikel Arteta with a major boost for the summer transfer window. The Spaniard has potentially eased the competition for Serge Gnabry at the end of the season.
According to GOAL, Liverpool are interested in signing Arnaut Danjuma from Villarreal. They see the winger as a natural replacement for Sadio Mane and may even wait until 2023 to make their move. This comes after it was reported that the Reds were also monitoring the progress of Serge Gnabry according to the Daily Mail.
Gnabry would be the ideal Arsenal signing in the summer but beating Liverpool to his signature is an almost impossible hurdle to overcome due to the Reds' Premier League domination, But with the success of Danjuma, it provides Arteta with less competition to secure his signature.
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Emery signed Danjuma from Bournemouth in the summer for a £13.5m fee, and he has gone on to be a major success for the Yellow Submarine. The Dutch international has scored six goals in nine Champions League appearances this campaign.
The winger caught the attention of the footballing world after his goal against Bayern Munich in the Champions League first-leg quarter-final that gave Villareal a surprise 1-0 advantage going into the reverse fixture. The Dutchman has thrived since making the summer move, which is down to the system Emery uses.
It is due to his excellent performances this season that Liverpool have reportedly shown interest in the forward. Arteta will have to thank Emery for this as it could give him a clear running in securing the signature of Gnabry.
German outlet Bild have claimed that Gnabry and his representatives are demanding £12.5m-a-year in wages to sign a new contract. But Bayern have yet to agree to these terms, which has put talks currently on hold.
The German winger still has a lot of admiration for Arsenal, which was proven with a tweet claiming that London is Arsenal’s after Gnabry’s Bayern Munich side dismantled Tottenham in the Champions 7-2 in 2019. He has also been pictured in Arsenal shirts on multiple occasions in recent times which also highlights his love for the club
Gnabry left the Gunners in 2016 to join Bundesliga side Werder Bremen after he failed to agree on a new contract when Arsene Wenger was manager of the club. Since his move away from the Premier League, he has become a Champions League winner and a multiple German league champion with Bayern Munich.
If the Gunners were to sell Pepe at the end of the season, then competition alongside Saka would certainly be needed. Despite the excellent performances the Englishman has shown for Arsenal throughout the season, there has been times when he has shown signs of burnout, and having someone who can help successfully share the attacking load would certainly be beneficial.
Gnabry can also occupy the forward role meaning his versatility makes him a desirable signing for the Gunners next season. Arteta’s side will be short in the forward positions with the likely departures of Alexandre Lacazatte and Eddie Nketiah due to their contracts that are set to expire, so Gnabry would also be a useful option to solve the incoming shortages upfront.
Arteta can thank Emery for this potential opportunity if Liverpool are to opt for Danjuma instead of Gnabry. The signing of the German does seems unrealistic, but if the Gunners can achieve Champions League football ahead of next season, then a transfer would certainly be on the cards.
