Arsenal must explore Ilkay Gundogan’s transfer situation and attempt to bring him to Arsenal. The Gunners’ 2-0 defeat against Newcastle on Monday evening called for experience and leadership in the middle of the park.
According to the Daily Mail, Gundogan will be allowed to find another club in the summer when he will have just one year left on his contract. The midfielder was Pep Guardiola’s first signing when he took over as Manchester City manager in 2016, and Gundogan has been crucial to the Spaniard ever since.
The Gunners will be in desperate need of a quality midfielder at the end of the season. Gundogan’s experience and ability would make him the ideal acquisition.
READ MORE: Frenkie de Jong tells Mikel Arteta the key objective to complete bargain £59m Arsenal transfer
Gundogan fired in 13 Premier League goals as they stormed to the Premier League title during the 2020/2021 season. Kevin De Bruyne was missing through injury, so the German stepped up and captained the side throughout the majority of the season.
He showed the leadership that Arsenal are so desperately lacking at the moment, which was proven in the defeat to Newcastle where Arteta’s midfield seemed non-existent as players did not turn up during the most important occasion.
The Gunners have been linked to the midfielder before as Arsene Wenger reportedly tried to sign him in 2015, a year before he joined Manchester City, but a deal never managed to materialise. It is now time for Arteta to attempt the same but succeed in his pursuit of the German.
The pair worked together at the Cityzens when Arteta was a part of Guardiola’s coaching stuff for the three years. This could benefit Arsenal in a future deal, as it seems to be doing with the Gunners’ pursuit of Gabriel Jesus.
Arsenal could be left short in midfield this summer, 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 yet to be signed and Albert Sambi Lokonga still needs time to mature.
Gundogan would be an excellent signing by Arsenal and it is a deal they should be pursuing. The Gunners will need strengthening in the midfield position, and the German would be an ideal candidate judging by the types of midfielders that Edu has been targeting ahead of next season, as the 31-year-old would be able to offer valuable experience to the younger players in the team.
