Why Mbeumo wasn’t a target and Leroy Sane talks

Bryan Mbeumo wouldn’t have made sense for Arsenal, but Leroy Sane is a target on a free transfer

There’s been lots of reaction from Arsenal fans to the news that Bryan Mbeumo looks set to join Manchester United at some point this summer, with many believing their club should have been pushing for the Brentford winger.

There was reported interest in Mbeumo from Arsenal, but things never went further than that and I’m not really surprised to be honest.

Don’t get me wrong, I would have loved to have seen Mbeumo at Arsenal, there is no doubt he would have improved Mikel Arteta’s attacking options.

But let’s face it, he’s predominantly a right winger and strengthening in that position isn’t really the priority for Arsenal this window.

They already have Bukayo Saka, who is going to play more often than not and then they have Ethan Nwaneri, who they have to continue to find meaningful minutes for following his breakthrough campaign in 2024/25.

So as nice as it would have been to see someone like Mbeumo come in, it just wasn’t really realistic in a window when Arsenal are going to have to invest heavily in other areas of the attack.

I do think there is an argument for bringing in another right sided option, but the priority has to be freshening things up on the opposite flank as well as adding that long-awaited new striker.

Those two additions are going to cost big money and when you add in the £51 million fee that has been put aside for Martin Zubimendi that already adds up to significant outlay from Arsenal in the transfer window.

So spending £60m plus on a right winger on top of all that just doesn’t seem realistic, as nice as it would be.

Perhaps that is why exploratory talks have been held with Leroy Sane’s agent, with the German winger set to be available on a free transfer should he fail to agree to an extension with Bayern Munich.

Ollie Watkins could still be one to watch for Arsenal

It’s only been a few months since Arsenal made an offer for Ollie Watkins, so it’s impossible to sit here and rule out the prospect of them going back in for the Aston Villa striker.

Mikel Arteta remains an admirer of the forward, but the only way I can see something happening with him this summer is if something pretty dramatic happens with both Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres.

Those two are clearly the priorities when it comes to the new striker and I would view Watkins as an option only if neither of those primary targets were to arrive.

Some will argue that Watkins could come in alongside one of either Sesko or Gyokeres, but again I’m not sure that is really realistic given the money that will most likely be spent elsewhere.

I think the possibility of Watkins moving to Arsenal would depend a lot on what sort of price Aston Villa would be looking for to do business.

In January they valued him at around £60 million and that was way above the £40m that the Arsenal hierarchy were willing to pay.

Given Watkins will turn 30 at the end of the year that valuation from Villa would have to reduce massively for Arsenal to consider doping anything for the striker.

Why aren’t Arsenal pursuing Hugo Ekitike?

It doesn’t really surprise me that Arsenal are not being mentioned as serious contenders for Hugo Ekitike, even if Mark Brus made a great case for the signing here.

He’s clearly a top talent and has had a superb season in Germany with Frankfurt. From what I’ve seen of him, he also looks tailor-made to be a success in the Premier League.

But when I look at the sort of striker that Mikel Arteta wants to operate with in his system, I’m just not sure Ekitike fits the bill.

You can see why Arsenal are so keen on Benjamin Sesko. He just looks like he will fit into Arteta’s system perfectly, but I’m not sure you can say the same with Ekitike.

That’s not a criticism and to be honest I think there is a strong argument that Arsenal should be looking for something a little bit different to what they already have.

Arsenal have looked a bit predictable under Arteta, they certainly did last season anyway, and maybe they need another type of option to give the opposition something else to think about.

But I’m just not sure that’s what they are really looking for.

It’s been a slow start but Arsenal are planning a significant window

In terms of the early business being done by Arsenal’s Premier League rivals this summer, I can understand why there is a sense of frustration growing amongst the fanbase.

Liverpool are showing real intent in the early days of the window. There’s no sense of them taking their eye off the ball due to their title celebrations. If anything, it looks like they are determined to send out a statement to everyone else that they are out to build on their success.

That is a worry, given how clear they finished above the rest of the league last season and given the quality of players they are now looking to bring in.

But I do think at this early stage of the window you have to try and ignore what is happening elsewhere and just wait to see what your own club does. There is still such a long way to go.

Arsenal want to significantly strengthen this summer. That message has been made abundantly clear and I think they will.

Patience is never a word that goes down very well during a transfer window. But it is something that is needed amid all the external noise.

Andrea Berta making good progress on new Arsenal contracts

Contract discussions are ongoing with Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly and of course the aim is to get both secured to new long-term deals as quickly as possible.

Arsenal are aware that there is a pressing need to get both tied down due to the fact their current deals are due to expire at the end of the season and sporting director Andrea Berta has taken a firm grasp on those discussions.

Berta has made excellent progress in the talks with Gabriel Magalhaes and my understanding is that Arsenal’s new sorting director has made a very good impression on everyone who is currently involved in contract discussions at the club.

So I think that bodes well when it comes to Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri.

More Stories / Latest News

Myles Lewis-Skelly to Real Madrid? Of course they’d be interested in this outrageous talent!

I’ve heard about the interest from Real Madrid in Lewis-Skelly and that doesn’t surprise me one bit. He’s an outrageous talent and Madrid saw that first hand when he bossed them over two legs in the Champions League last season.

So of course they would be interested in such a promising young player and would be keen to learn about what his plans are given he is about to enter the final year of his deal.

But I am convinced he will soon agree to an extension at Arsenal. He’s the future of the club and he’s spent years dreaming of making it into the senior side, so why would he leave so soon after achieving that dream?

Arsenal are very calm about the situation. They believe Lewis-Skelly will sign and at this stage I see no reason to doubt that view.