Arsenal transfer news: The latest Gunners media briefing from the Emirates Stadium with reaction to stories on Emile Smith Rowe, Folarin Balogun and Mykhailo Mudryk
Mykhailo Mudryk’s name is once again being said in the same sentence as Arsenal. Who would have thought?
The Ukraine international, as everyone knows, rejected the Gunners in favour of a £88.5million ($111m) move to Chelsea in January. And as everyone in football is well aware of, Mudryk has struggled to make an impact in England.
No goals and only two assists have been produced by the winger at Stamford Bridge, leaving many questioning his move. However, should reports be believed, Chelsea are already looking to offload him in their attempt to sign Emile Smith Rowe.
The Blues have expressed an interest in the Hale Ender this summer, with Mauricio Pochettino still hoping to sign an attacker capable of playing out wide on the right and centrally behind the striker. Smith Rowe is yet to play a single second of Premier League action this season and Mikel Arteta’s decision to use Fabio Vieira over the 23-year-old in the draw to Fulham has left his future in doubt.
Any chance of Mudryk being swapped for Smith Rowe is said to have been swiftly rejected by Arsenal, leaving Chelsea with less than three days to muster another bid before Friday’s deadline.
football.london says: Allowing a talent like Smith Rowe to leave for their London rivals is bad enough. But to let him leave and sign Mudryk instead would be one of the most bizarre transfer deals conducted in some time.
It would take some doing for Arsenal to even entertain Chelsea’s offer for Smith Rowe. Mudryk’s performances in the Premier League in his first eight months in the country have not covered him in glory, in fact, it’s probably proved that Arsenal were right not to match Chelsea’s £88.5m bid.
The deal would just be inexcusable for Arsenal. A player with a strong connection to the club for a player who wanted a move to the blue side of London isn’t good business. Chelsea have to do more.
One Hale End graduate who will leave Arsenal this summer is Folarin Balogun. The striker is said to have agreed a deal to join AS Monaco following months of speculation regarding his future.
Balogun returned to London Colney with ambitions of breaking into the Gunners first-team on the back of his wonderful season with Stade Reims. However, that’s not been the case and he’s not on course to permanently leave.
Monaco will pay a €40million (£34.3m) package for the USMNT star and according to Fabrizio Romano, Balogun was in Monaco on Tuesday to undergo his medical tests ahead of his return to France.
The transfer saga that has dominated the headlines throughout the summer is nearly over.
football.london says: It’s took some time but Balogun is now close to being handed an opportunity to show his worth. Arsenal will be happy to inherit their club-record transfer fee for a player, but there’s serious potential that they regret the deal down the line.
I still think the Gunners have missed a big chance to implement Balogun into their squad to offer a different threat in attack. Gabriel Jesus’ injury in pre-season should have been an opportunity for the 22-year-old, but it wasn’t meant to be and he’ll now compete with PSG for the Ligue 1 title.
Time is running out for Arsenal to spend their windfall on Balogun. However, Arteta’s decision has seemed to be made for some time and you’d like to think a plan has been in place for this outcome. Time will tell.
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