Arsenal could have potentially planned to use Jack Wilshere as a secret agent to secure a summer transfer target and solve the striker problems at the club.
According to French outlet L’Equipe, Wilshere was offered to Ligue 1 side Lille on a short-term deal last month, but the club turned him down despite the Englishman willing to join on trial.
The Gunners have made a lot of signings from Lille in the past with players such as Gervinho, Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel Magalhaes. Now, they are reportedly interested in Jonathan David.
Using a secret agent to secure the signing of a Lille player has worked in the past as Chelsea are well aware of after securing the signing of Eden Hazard with help from Joe Cole, and it is certainly a tactic the Gunners could have used.
"It was at the time when we were playing together at Lille, when Manchester United and Manchester City were courting him (Hazard). Every big team wanted him," Cole told BT Sport via their YouTube channel.
"We had some chats about his future, and I just asked him if he'd thought about Chelsea, and he intimated that they were interested. I said 'I think it's for you.'
"I explained that he'd settle in well in London, and I said 'if you get a bit homesick, you can just jump on the train, and you're back in Brussels in five minutes."
Arsenal certainly value David as a quality player and according to The Athletic, the club has been a long-time admirer of the young striker since his time in Belgium with Gent before he joined Lille in 2020.
David has been performing excellently this season in Ligue 1 and in the Champions League, playing a pivotal part in the club’s European knockout stage progression.
The Canadian international has already hinted about an Arsenal move in the future having recently been pictured wearing a shirt that had Thierry Henry celebrating during his days as a player, and even mentioning that he watched Arsenal when he was younger.
"European clubs made me dream," he told L’Equipe earlier this year. "I watched Barca a lot, Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, with Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira."
Despite the clear interest already there, having Wilshere in his ear also telling him what a great club Arsenal is really could have nailed down a transfer, similar to what Cole did when Chelsea signed Hazard.
David has been extremely prolific this season, which shows he has developed from the year previously where he did not get off to the greatest of starts at Lille.
However, in this campaign, he already has 12 goals in Ligue 1 which is the highest in a league that boasts the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
David could cost around £47 million if reports are to be believed but he would certainly be an excellent solution to Arsenal’s striker problems, which should make Edu pursue a deal for the striker despite Wilshere's snub.
Make sure you have subscribed to The Arsenal Way and the Fan Brands team along with plenty of your football.london favourites will be producing daily Arsenal content for you to enjoy including match reactions, podcasts, football fun and interviews.
