Arsenal are on the hunt for a new winger ahead of the second half of the season. Mikel Arteta has identified Mykhaylo Mudryk as the ideal signing to complete this target, but a deal has been incredibly difficult to get over the line.
It is imperative that Edu signs a winger in the winter window regardless if the incoming is Mudryk or an alternative. The Gunners currently lead the Premier League table and a new signing will further bolster Arteta’s option.
If the signing of Mudryk does ultimately fail then Barcelona have given Arsenal the option of two players who could alternatives to the Ukrainian. It also gives Edu a redemption opportunity.
READ MORE: Arsenal's Mykhaylo Mudryk reality gives Edu a chance at ideal £31m transfer steal
According to Spanish news outlet AS, unless something drastic changes, either Ousmane Dembele or Raphinha will leave Barcelona this summer. One will leave and the other will stay.
Barcelona had disrupted the Gunners’ transfer plans last summer when they hijacked a deal to sign Leeds United’s Raphinha. The Brazilian was Arsenal’s main winger target, but after Edu had lost out on this deal, he did not pursue another winger, but he could have the chance for redemption by signing him six-months later.
Alternatively, Dembele could be an option for the Gunners. Last season, El Chiringuito claimed that Dembele’s agent had a meeting with Arsenal, but a deal never managed to materialise as he stayed with the Catalan club.
The Gunners were unable to sign a winger in the summer transfer window, despite the clear need to strengthen in the wide areas. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have a lot of pressure to perform until the next opportunity to address this area of the pitch opens, but there is a risk of burnout.
With the Gunners projected to finish at least in a Champions League qualification spot next season, it is important that depth is added to the forward areas. Barcelona have handed Arsenal two ideal alternatives if a transfer for Mudryk falls through before the end of the January transfer window.
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