Mikel Arteta and Arsenal weren’t able to make any additions to their first-team squad during the January transfer window, with the club hamstrung in the market by the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules. The money was available, but Arsenal would have risked exceeding the limit if they’d spent it.
Heading into the summer, though, there are plenty of positions Arteta could look to address. A striker is expected to be high on the wishlist, and they may strengthen their attacking options further with another winger too.
Bukayo Saka has started all but one game this season and Gabriel Martinelli has made the line-up for 19 out of 23, while Leandro Trossard has offered an option both out wide and through the middle. Reiss Nelson, however, hasn’t started a single top-flight match this term, and youngster Marquinhos has been recalled from a loan spell at French club Nantes, where he only started one Ligue 1 game.
Beyond that, Arsenal might also try to sign a left-back, and there’s a possibility that they pursue multiple options in the centre of midfield too. One of those, it seems, could be Leicester City’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Dewsbury Hall could be on Arsenal list
Speaking to GiveMeSport, transfer insider Dean Jones shared Arsenal’s transfer priorities for this summer. He’s learned that the Gunners are considering a new wide man and, as for central targets, he says Dewsbury-Hall could be a candidate.
He said: “Dewsbury-Hall, a player that’s creative, definitely somebody that I could see that would be on their radar. I know for a fact that as well as being open to signing a new striker, they also feel like they might need another wide player.
“I think a creator like Dewsbury Hall who can be versatile and who can bring a spark to games. It’s not very often these players become available. I don’t think he’d be top of Arsenal’s list to be honest, but he’s certainly somebody that would fit what they’re trying to do under Arteta.”
Dewsbury-Hall won’t come cheap after stunning season
Dewsbury-Hall is enjoying a standout season at Leicester, who are on course to be promoted back to the Premier League at a canter after their relegation last term. With 16 games to go, they sit 11 points clear at the top of the table, albeit having played a game more than Southampton.
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25-year-old Dewsbury-Hall has helped to power that promotion push by reaching double figures for both goals and assists, a feat only one other player – Southampton’s Adam Armstrong – has achieved. He’s scored the eight-most in the league and set-up the third-most, ranking inside the top three for overall goal contributions.
Rank | Player | Championship goals + assists |
|---|---|---|
1 | Adam Armstrong | 26 |
2 | Morgan Whittaker | 22 |
3 | 20 | |
4 | Crysencio Sumerville | 19 |
=4 | Sammie Szmodics | 19 |
Inevitably, this form hasn’t gone unnoticed in the top tier, with Brighton bidding £20m for the Englishman during last month’s window. Leicester rejected that offer because it was “considerably below” their valuation for a crucial homegrown player, and it remains to be seen how much they’ll demand in the summer when, in all likelihood, they’ll be back in the big time.
