Arsene Wenger has some huge plans for the Arsenal side that failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in more than 20 years. The Gunners have already spent on Alexandre Lacazette to refurbish their attack for the next season but Wenger is not convinced with his options and is now looking at Everton’s Ross Barkley to further strengthen his attack for the next season.
According to the Evening Standard, Arsenal have joined Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign English international Ross Barkley his summer. The versatile midfielder has rejected a new contract with the club and wants out with Tottenham Hotspur extensively linked with his services.
However, Everton are demanding an astonishing fee of £50m for his services, which Pochettino is unwilling to meet. So should Arsenal hijack this deal? Wenger has Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott as the first choice attackers behind Lacazette in the next season as it increasingly looks like Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez will quit the club before the start of the next season.
The former Barcelona man was the best player for the club in the previous season and it will be close to impossible for Wenger to replace him completely in just one summer. The likes of Juan Cuadrado and Thomas Lemar have constantly linked with the club to fill in this role but it is understood that Wenger is inclining towards Barkley due to his English experience.
A versatile midfielder who came up through the ranks at the Goodison Park, Barkley is one of the most exciting midfielders on show in England at the moment. He has 150 Premier League appearances and 22 international appearances to his name, all at the age of 23, gathering some serious experience at an early age.
An excellent dribbler with a decent eye for goal, the Everton man can create chances on a constant basis and is a player hard to mark in the final third. Though his defensive contributions still need improvement, he is a player who can make things happen in the final third and could walk into most clubs in England.
He wants to challenge for trophies regularly and the lack of progress in his home town is frustrating him. Arsenal may not be ready to meet his valuation of £50m, like their local neighbours but they do offer a slightly more exciting project to the 23-year old at the Emirates.
If Sanchez leaves, Barkley has a chance to cement a first team place in London and if he can prove himself, this step to the Emirates might be his most important one in his career yet.
