According to a recent report by the Mirror, Arsenal have suffered a massive blow in pursuit of Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele after the Catalans ruled out a January exit for the talented French striker. In a recent interview with SER Radio, Barcelona chief Pep Segura shed some light on the 21-year-old’s future and said, “There is no problem with Dembele,”
“Yes, we had a meeting, just like yesterday I met with three other representatives, but it’s normal, it’s part of my job, they’re natural things.
“Dembele is very young and has never had to make an effort like the one he is doing now to adapt to Barca’s game.
“We recognise that it is hard for him and he also recognises it, but we’re working to change this situation as quickly as possible.”
It is clear from Segura’s comments that they have no intention of letting the forward leave the Nou Camp during the winter transfer period, much to the disappointment of the Gunners. Here are three alternative options for Emery to consider if he wants to bring some attacking reinforcements in January.
Wissam Ben Yedder
The French talent is a striker who is not afraid to work his socks off up top. He is also a prolific goal-getter as evidenced by his fabulous record for Sevilla this season. The 28-year-old has scored ten goals while creating five assists in 17 matches for the La Liga outfit so far. He is precisely the type of player who can thrive under Unai Emery’s guidance and has the technical ability to form a good partnership with the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in the final third.
Hirving Lozano
The Mexican dazzler had caught the eye with some exceptional performances at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia when he was representing his homeland against some of the best nations in the world. The PSV Eindhoven forward has also been quite productive at the club level after scoring 11 goals while providing five assists in 20 appearances for the Eredivisie heavyweights in all competitions. It is likely that Lozano would be a smart addition to the Arsenal frontline if Unai Emery can manage to sign him in the near future.
Federico Bernardeschi
The Italian international has been plagued with injuries recently which has kept him out of the Juventus first-team but there is no doubt about his quality on the pitch. The 24-year-old is one of the rising stars of Italian football and could be a shrewd acquisition for the Gunners as Emery currently lacks a natural winger down the right flank.
