Mikel Arteta certainly enjoyed the first half of the season with Arsenal, who top the Premier League table throughout the World Cup break, five points clear of Manchester City.
The pause in the campaign would have given Arteta ample time to refocus ahead of what is surely the most important few months in the club’s recent history, while also planning ahead for the January transfer market.
The 40-year-old might be able to get rid of some deadwood in the winter, with Cedric Soares reportedly attracting interest from Fulham, Villarreal, and Bayer Leverkusen.
The 31-year-old – who earns £75k-p/w – has played just two Premier League matches all season, featuring for a grand total of 14 minutes, and it’s evident that he no longer appears to be in Arteta’s long-term plans.
The Spaniard is obviously building for the future, and with Spanish publication AS (via Sport Witness) claiming that Arsenal are keen on a move for Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda, it could give Arteta the licence to ditch Cedric in January.
The 18-year-old has a release clause of €30m (£26m), yet Edu is believed to be ‘already talking’ with the La Liga club regarding a deal for ‘around half’ of the release clause.
A potential move for the teenager would certainly be an interesting one, especially considering his performances so far this term.
Fresneda has played six matches in the 2022/23 La Liga campaign and has impressed defensively, making 2.5 tackles, 2.8 clearances and 1.3 interceptions per game and winning 55% of his duels, proving to be solid at the back.
He isn’t shy about getting forward and contributing in attack either, making 1.5 key passes per match, creating two big chances and completing 82% of his passes. These are excellent statistics from someone of his age, and it suggests that he could adapt quite well if he moves to the Premier League.
Journalist Juan Arroita lavished high praise on the youngster on Twitter earlier this year, saying: “Iván Fresneda has a beastly ability to take measured crosses from the right-handed lane. How good does the boy look? 17 years old…”
It appears that the days of Arsenal buying older players who have outstayed their welcome at various other Premier League clubs and eyeing a final payday are coming to an end, with Arteta building ahead for what could be a glorious era under his leadership.
Cedric should be offloaded next month in order to make way for Fresneda, and it is a prospective move which could turn out to be a shrewd investment over the next few years.
from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/QAiNpZM
via IFTTT