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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has reportedly held a discussion with the club's hierarchy regarding the signing of Joao Pedro. As claimed by The Boot Room, the Brighton & Hove Albion attacker has emerged as a target for the Gunners as they look to bolster their frontline.
Arteta's side finished runners-up in the Premier League in two successive seasons on fine margins. It is quite evident that the north London giants are leaving no stone unturned in their quest for their first Premier League title since 2004.
Arsenal have been quite active in the transfer market thus far having started their business by turning David Raya’s loan into a permanent deal. They then made a statement signing in the form of Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna.
As per reports, they are close to landing Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad who will be their third signing of the summer. They are now believed to be looking to strengthen their attack which was somewhat of a letdown last season. They scored the second-highest goals in the league (91) but lacked the clinical edge at some crucial moments.
They have reportedly identified Joao Pedro as a target following his excellent debut season at Brighton. The Brazil international only joined the Seagulls in a £30 million deal from Watford last summer and had a brilliant season. He scored 20 goals and provided three assists in 40 games across competitions last season.
As per aforementioned reports, Brighton could sell the attacker for at least £50 million, with his contract expiring in 2028. A move for Pedro could prove to be a wise one from Arsenal's point of view given his age and profile. He is still only 22 years of age with decent experience in England already and he is also capable of playing in multiple attacking roles.
Pundit backs 24-year-old to thrive at new club after Arsenal exit
Pundit Stan Collymore has backed Emile Smith Rowe to do well at Fulham following his departure from Arsenal. The England international has joined Marco Silva's side in a £34 million move from the Gunners this summer.
Collymore has insisted that Mikel Arteta didn't use Smith Rowe enough and believes that he will be a huge success at the Craven Cottage. He told Caught Offside:
“Fulham’s a great club, they’ve got all of the facilities that a high-profile player would want, and Emile Smith Rowe wouldn’t have to move very far. I think it’s just a case of he’s been underused, and when you have a manager like Mikel Arteta, just as he did with Aaron Ramsdale, once you cross the line into being a player that he doesn’t want.
"He’s not one of those that goes ‘everybody’s got a clean slate here, and we’re going to use lots of different players during the season,’ Arteta has got his ideas who he wants, and based on the ones that he doesn’t want, he expects them then to be moved on fairly quickly."
Collymore added:
"I think Fulham will be a revelation for Smith Rowe, and as long as he doesn’t go ‘I’ve come down a step because I was at Arsenal, now I’m at Fulham,’ everything is there for him to progress.”
Smith Rowe played just 671 minutes of first-team football for Arsenal over the last two seasons. In total, he made 115 appearances for his boyhood side contributing with 18 goals and 13 assists.
