Arsenal are interested in signing Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, with Mikel Arteta planning for a massive overhaul in the summer.
Mikel Arteta’s side dropped down to second in the table on Sunday after Manchester City’s narrow 2-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage. They led the standings for the majority of the campaign until now but the 4-1 defeat to Man City in midweek was a huge title blow.
On a bigger picture, Arsenal have enjoyed a brilliant season and will return to the Champions League next season after a six-year absence. That will boost their summer’s transfer kitty by around £80m, with Arteta aware that many of his current squad players are not up to the required standard to take the club back to where they belong.
The Gunners boss wants to reinforce his defensive options, despite signing Jakub Kiwior from Spezia in the January transfer window. His reconsideration comes after observing his team’s title challenge was dented following William Saliba’s injury absence. Indeed, the Gunners have leaked goals for fun without Saliba, conceding 13 in their last six Premier League games.
As a result, Arteta reportedly wants a centre-back ahead of the next campaign and Marc Guehi is one of the names on his radar. Guehi, 22, has performed well at Crystal Palace in the last two seasons, having previously failed to make the grade at Chelsea. He has proven himself to be a strong leader for the Eagles, whilst becoming a full England international under Gareth Southgate. He has earned three caps for England so far.
Should Arsenal make a move for Marc Guehi?
Marc Guehi has been a consistent performer at Selhurst Park, demonstrating that he has the quality to play for one of the Premier League’s big six clubs in the near future. The centre-back is still 22 and would be a smart long-term investment for Arsenal if they can get his signature.
The three-cap England international could be a valuable option to cover and compete with William Saliba and Gabriel, with Rob Holding needing to do more to justify his role as a squad player at the Emirates Stadium. The lure of Champions League football could play a massive role in tempting the 22-year-old to swap Palace for Arsenal.
Now that a centre-back appears to be among Arteta’s top targets, it will be interesting to see whether the Gunners lodge a bid for Guehi or not.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
