Arsenal have been given a boost in pursuit of a Bayern Munich star who’s privately made his feelings about a move to the Gunners crystal clear.
Arsenal continue quadruple charge after win at Brighton
It was not pretty, but then it rarely needs to be when you are seven points clear at the top of the Premier League with eight games left to play.
Arsenal made the trip to the Amex on Wednesday night without William Saliba and Martin Odegaard, were booed off the pitch by an increasingly furious Brighton crowd, and were outplayed for long stretches.
Brighton had the lion’s share of the ball, carved out the better chances, and could have no complaints if they felt they deserved something from the game. They got nothing.
Instead, Bukayo Saka settled it inside nine minutes.
Receiving the ball from Jurrien Timber on the edge of the area, he took aim and his effort deflected off Carlos Baleba and crept through the legs of Bart Verbruggen. Barely a third of Saka’s 300th Arsenal appearance gone, and the result was effectively sealed.
Mikel Arteta‘s side sat in, absorbed the pressure, rode their luck at times, and emerged with three more precious points while Man City dropped two at the Etihad against Nottingham Forest.
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On paper, another unconvincing win. In the context of the title race, another potentially decisive evening.
Arteta will now rotate and manage his squad carefully as the fixtures come thick and fast. Saturday brings an FA Cup fifth-round tie away at Mansfield Town, a trip that will offer fringe players minutes and keep the quadruple dream alive.
Then comes the small matter of a Champions League last-16 first leg at Bayer Leverkusen next Wednesday before the Premier League resumes again.
It is the kind of schedule that demands depth, and it is the kind of club that Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka has been keeping a close eye on.
Leon Goretzka dreams of joining Arsenal this summer
That is according to well-placed Bayern insider Christian Falk, who reports that Arsenal are currently leading the race to sign Goretzka this summer — and crucially, the player himself wants the move to happen.
Falk reports that while Arsenal did not submit a formal bid in January, despite reports of an approach at the time, they made clear to those in Goretzka’s camp that they were monitoring his situation and could be back.
Atlético Madrid had already held very concrete talks with the Germany international, with their sporting director making the trip to Munich in person, but it is the Premier League that Goretzka has set his heart on, and within that, Arsenal sit top of his list.
“He would love to play for Arsenal,” Falk wrote in a Q&A.
“In his heart, he feels this would be a perfect next club.”
Falk goes further, painting a picture of a player fully aware of how well the move would suit his style. Goretzka is reportedly a long-time admirer of English football and believes the intensity and physicality of the Premier League suits the way he plays.
“I heard he loves the Premier League and his playing style suits English football,” Falk continued.
“However, he’s not focused on one club and only one club this summer. If Arsenal are there, he’d be more than happy to sit at the table and listen to offers. Tottenham are also interested, and that could be an option, but Spurs are not as attractive an option as Arsenal right now. Arsenal are playing very well at the moment, and they’re in the Champions League.”
At 31, with a Bayern career that is winding down, the prospect of competing for major honours in a new environment is a powerful draw.
Whether Arteta makes a formal move remains to be seen, but Goretzka has been praised as a ‘machine’ with ‘exemplary behaviour’ and attitude behind-the-scenes (Sami Khedira).
An experienced serial winner of his ilk would only add to Arteta’s already illustrious dressing room, and reports suggest the soon-to-be free agent is willing to take a huge pay cut from nearly £300,000-per-week to £106,000-per-week to facilitate his next move.
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