Arsenal have now completed their scouting mission on an attacking target, as Andrea Berta continues to plot a summer swoop.
Declan Rice “excited” by “amazing” FA Cup
Some in North London will be relieved to see the FA Cup this weekend, for the stress of a Premier League title race certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted.
It looked as though Arsenal would have the chance to go nine points clear on Thursday night, only for Erling Haaland’s late penalty to put the pressure back on the Gunners.
It was pressure that Brentford made sure they felt in full, too. The Bees have quickly become one of the toughest home sides to face in the Premier League under Keith Andrews and could have stolen all three points against the champions-elect before settling for a comeback draw.
Now four points clear at the top, Arsenal have got to turn their focus towards Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup on Sunday. It’s another competition that they’re among the favourites to win and Declan Rice shared his excitement ahead of the game.
The midfielder told reporters: “Every three days we are playing in different competitions, so we are so used to it.
“We will reflect on the game (against Brentford), take the positives, the learnings, what we have to improve and go on Sunday again with the energy and the batteries fully charged to win the game.
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The Gunners have set their sights on a midfielder.
“We’ve been trying to make sure that everybody is a big part of what we are doing in different competitions and Sunday will be the same.
“The history that we have with the FA Cup is amazing. We play at home, and I’m really excited to recover and go again.”
Meanwhile, away from the pitch, there’s also reason to be excited. Reports have already name-dropped the likes of Leon Goretka and have now shared Arsenal’s interest in a Bundesliga attacker.
Arsenal constantly scouting Antonio Nusa
As reported by German outlet Fussball Daten and relayed by TeamTalk, Arsenal are now constantly scouting Antonio Nusa as Berta continues to plot a summer move to sign the RB Leipzig winger.
The Gunners are well-stocked on the left-hand side, with Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, but Thursday’s draw against Brentford highlighted that another attacking spark wouldn’t go amiss.
Still just 20 years old, Nusa is already a full international with Norway teammate Marin Odegaard and has already earned plenty of praise from around Europe.
That includes from talent scout Jacek Kulig, who dubbed the Leipzig man an “amazing winger” back in October. By this point, Arsenal will be well aware of just how talented he is, but Nusa’s price-tag could still become an issue.
Reports in Germany have claimed that his price could rise to as much as €90m (£78m) if he enjoys an impressive World Cup with Norway this summer.