Having Manchester United in complete disarray is certainly an enjoyable occurrence from an Arsenal perspective. However, the appointment of Erik ten Hag as their new first-team coach does raise some concerns should he be allowed time to work his magic.
Ten Hag is also seemingly already having an impact on Europa League rivals Arsenal this season. The Gunners and Mikel Arteta are aiming to spend big in the window with deals for three players already agreed and more to come.
Matt Turner, Marquinhos and Fabio Vieira will join the club for preseason and could be moving in with the likes of Raphinha, Gabriel Jesus and Youri Tielemans should Arsenal complete prospective moves for the trio. However, a fourth potential player is Ajax and Ten Hag’s former defender Lisandro Martinez.
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The Argentinian is said to be a priority for Arteta this summer but the frustrations for United in their aims of getting Jurriën Timber have caused them to shift focus to Martinez. The last defender that the two clubs battled it out for the Gunners came out victorious.
Gabriel Magalhaes turned down interest from United and Napoli to instead choose Arsenal in 2020. The Gunners certainly have got more for their money than the combined fee paid for both Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane.
However, the favourite in this sense might lean more towards the Manchester club with the presence of Ten Hag which makes a potential Arteta victory in this transfer tussle all the more impressive. Should the Spaniard show he can get the edge over coaches such as Ten Hag in the market, it would be quite the statement.
Ten Hag will, like Arteta, want to bring some sensibility to Manchester United after years of poor recruitment. Any way that the Gunners can disrupt this, will be of benefit to the club’s ambitions in the market and hopes of finishing above their old rivals once again.
Martinez as a player would give Arsenal plenty of versatile options in defence. Bringing competition for Gabriel Magalhaes and Kieran Tierney. Providing balance to the defence on the left when Takehiro Tomiyasu isn’t available too.
It is a move that suits the Gunners possibly more than United, but Arteta will need to sell the project to the Argentinian to push through why north London is the correct destination. Failing to do so could not only hand Man United an edge but set back potential plans to strengthen in defence to later in the window.
Completing the club’s business early seems to be a proactive part of the summer plan. Supporters will need to keep their fingers crossed that the Ajax man is part of that.
