Edu has already settled on Arsenal next five transfer contracts after suffering Emiliano Buendia setback.
Arsenal’s dreams of signing Norwich City sensation Emiliano Buendia this summer seem to have reached their end.
According to multiple reports, Aston Villa have won the race for the Argentina international, beating a club-record agreement with the Canaries to secure his signature.
Like Arsenal, Villa saw an opening offer of around £30million declined earlier this week but refused to throw in the towel in their beliefs of adding the 24-year-old to their armory ahead of next season, making Norwich an improved offer of around £35m, plus add-ons, which has since been accepted.
Buendia has reportedly agreed on personal terms with the Villa Park outfit and has undergone a medical, meaning the Gunners’ hopes of seducing the Argentine to the Emirates Stadium are all but dead and buried unless his switch to the Midlands fails at the very last minute which seems doubtful.
This is the first major blow that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu have faced in their journey to bolster the squad this summer.
Buendia is a player that Arsenal had been long-term enthusiasts of, first showing an interest in him as far back as December. However, the Gunners can ill-afford to be too downbeat about their defeat to win the race for the Norwich player, as Arteta has a large hurdle ahead of him in an effort to transform the club’s fortunes.
Despite the unlucky blow of missing out on signing the 2020/21 Championship Player of the Season, the Gunners’ blueprint for this summer’s window is not thought to have changed.
As reported by football.london last month, Arsenal want to bring in five next first-team signings this summer as a minimum, all of whom would reinforce different sectors of the squad ahead of next season transfer contracts.
Among the areas that Arteta has wants to strengthen, the goalkeeping department is one of them. The primary purpose is to source a proper back-up for current first-choice shot-stopper Bernd Leno, with Mat Ryan’s loan spell at the Emirates Stadium having now arrived its conclusion.
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Although it is likely that Ryan could return, the Gunners could attempt a move for a new first-choice goalkeeper if Leno leaves the club, something he is open to doing if the right offer displays itself.
Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana is considered to be the club’s number one target if they must seek a new first-choice shot-stopper this summer.
As well as looking to strengthen between the sticks, Arsenal are also decided to be on the lookout for both a new right-back and left-back.
Reinforcing the left-back position was a top preference for Arteta during the January transfer window, as he looked for a proper candidate to provide competition for Kieran Tierney.
But despite being linked with a whole host of opportunities, no contract ever came to fruition. This time around, it is surmised that former Southampton man Ryan Bertrand remains a potential candidate to join the club, while Arsenal continues to keep tabs on Hibernian ace Josh Doig.
Signing a new right-back will also be an antecedence for Arsenal if Hector Bellerin bequeaths the club. The Spaniard is keen to leave the Emirates Stadium and test himself elsewhere, but finding a replacement may not be so easy.
Inter Milan’s Achraf Hakimi has been intimately associated with a move to north London, as has Norwich City’s Max Aarons and Tariq Lamptey of Brighton & Hove Albion.
Strengthening the centre of midfield with a box-to-box midfield player, however, is considered to be Arsenal’s central focus. Following Dani Ceballos’ return to Real Madrid after his loan spell, and the possibility of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira all being sold, Arsenal are going to be light on options in the centre of the park.
Two names that have become top candidates to strengthen the Gunners’ midfield this summer are Brighton ace Yves Bissouma and Sheffield United’s Sander Berge.
To Arsenal’s advantage, both players would be open to making the move to the Emirates Stadium if the chance presented itself, but their asking prices will not be cheap. Berge has a release clause of £35m in his Blades deal, whilst Bissouma is likely to be valued at around £40m.
Once again, departures will direct whether or not a contract for either of those two is likely.
The last position that Edu has views to reinforce this summer is, of course, the attacking-midfield role, the spot that they held Buendia would strengthen.
Arsenal’s top target to strengthen that part of the team is Martin Odegaard, who spent the second half of this season on loan in north London from Real Madrid. But following Carlo Ancelotti’s recent post as Madrid’s new manager, it remains to be examined if Arsenal will have a possibility of signing him this summer once again, either on loan or on a permanent deal.
If Arsenal fail in their efforts to land Odegaard, they will have to turn their focus to alternative targets or hand the responsibility to Emile Smith Rowe, who could bloom in the No.10 role if it was to be his on a permanent basis.
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Edu has already settled on Arsenal next five transfer contracts after suffering Emiliano Buendia setback.
