Manchester United’s Erik ten Hag appointment could spell bad news for Arsenal. It is being claimed that the Dutch manager will target Ruben Neves, who has been linked with a move to the Gunners.
Sky Sports have reported that the Red Devils are close to finalising the appointment of their new manager with ten Hag expected to be their chosen candidate. He is currently the manager of Ajax, but a move to the Premier League has been anticipated in recent seasons.
According to the Sun, ten Hag’s number one transfer target when taking over United as boss will be Neves from Wolves. The Portuguese midfielder has been linked with a move away from the Molineux and Arsenal have been one of the clubs consistently linked to him.
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Arsenal are set to be short in the midfield position in the summer. This is because football.london understands that Roma are expected to make a fresh attempt to sign Granit Xhaka at the end of the season.
This will mean that Thomas Partey would be the only experienced midfielder in the team. Mohamed Elneny’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and Albert Sambi Lokonga still needs time to mature.
So with Xhaka potentially moving to Roma, Neves would prove to be an excellent partner alongside Partey. The 24-year-old is a part of a Wolves team that has been solid defensively this season which Neves has played a big part in.
He would be the perfect solution to Arsenal’s shortages, as he is a composed midfielder who handles the basics excellently, and aside from an occasional marvellous free-kick, he is usually not the type of player to feature on a headline. He has plenty of Premier League experience and has shown that he is capable of competing with the best clubs in the land, and would certainly improve the Arsenal midfield.
At the end of the season, the midfielder’s contract will only have two years remaining, and Wolves will have to decide whether to sell him to prevent losing him for a cut-price in the following year, due to his expiring deal. Arsenal could certainly exploit his current contract situation by persuading him with Champions League football ahead of next season.
Beating Manchester United to the signing of the Portuguese international will not be easy, especially when ten Hag can deliver promises on a new project at Old Trafford. However, Arsenal seem to be ahead in their rebuilding process and if the club can guarantee Champions League football next season, then north London would certainly be more of an attractive destination for Neves.
