Arsenal have privately refused to rule out signing a former Man City forward for manager Mikel Arteta this summer, with new sporting director Andrea Berta and the Gunners hierarchy set for a key transfer decision.
Arsenal cruise into Champions League semi-finals after Real Madrid win
It’s been a sensational week for Arteta and co, who made history by becoming the first ever side in history to win at the Bernabeu on their first two visits – breaking a record which stood for 77 years.
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Goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli sealed a stunning 5-1 aggregate win for Arsenal in the Spanish capital, making a serious statement to the rest of Europe that they’re genuine contenders to win this year’s Champions League title.
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Arsenal’s next five Premier League games |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Ipswich Town (away) |
April 20th |
|
Crystal Palace (home) |
April 23rd |
|
Bournemouth (home) |
May 3rd |
|
Liverpool (away) |
May 11th |
|
Newcastle United (home) |
May 18th |
A tough test in Ligue 1 champions PSG awaits in the semi-finals, but their tails will surely be up after a potentially season-defining quarter-final tie.
“The feeling that we have is our reality, basically,” said Arteta on the mood around Arsenal after their triumph over Real Madrid.
“And in the feeling that I had before the game, when the players were transmitting and how prepared I could feel the team, that we are ready to compete against anybody. Now we have to continue to do that because I think we have some momentum now.
“Where we finished last year and the way we’re doing it this year, the teams with their eyes on us and the competition, it’s incredible. Big credit to [Madrid}, it was my first time as a coach in that dugout, and today I realised after three minutes in this stadium, anything is possible. They are specialists of creating such chaos and belief, and it’s very difficult to really understand what’s going on in the game and have certainty about how we controlled it. I think they showed a lot of maturity.”
Arsenal refuse to rule out signing Raheem Sterling permanently
Privately, Arsenal are making plans to build the squad further and provide Arteta with new wide attackers.
In the last week, Arsenal have repeatedly been linked with a move for Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman, not to mention Athletic Bilbao sensation Nico Williams, but there is also the matter of Raheem Sterling and his future at the Emirates.
It hasn’t exactly been a dream loan move from Chelsea for the Englishman, who’s seen precious little game time under his former City assistant coach, with Arsenal paying around £163,000-per-week of his £325,000-per-week salary during his temporary stint.
Berta would need to renegotiate contract terms and a fee with Chelsea to make his move permanent, but according to The Mail, as quoted by TEAMtalk, Arsenal have refused to rule out signing Sterling permanently and are yet to inform him of a final decision.
It would be a bizarre call by the north Londoners at this point, considering the 30-year-old boasts just one goal and five assists all season, but it is believed his stay may not be completely off the table, contrary to reports.