Arsenal are on the path of a shock wonderkid signing, with Mikel Arteta desirous to strengthen his squad additional.
Excluding loans, the Gunners solely added three main signings over the summer time, in one of many membership’s extra modest switch home windows of late. Riccardo Calafiori was the headline acquisition from Bologna , with Mikel Merino signing from Actual Sociedad and David Raya’s mortgage transfer from Brentford being turned everlasting.
It’s understood that Arsenal are nonetheless on the lookout for reinforcements, although – and with sporting director Edu Gaspar departing , Mikel Arteta might have extra of a say within the switch window.
Arsenal in for high Southampton starlet
Edu leaving creates a void on the Emirates Stadium (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
Edu’s exit signifies that issues are altering at Arsenal. Arteta has the title of ‘supervisor’ on the membership, slightly than ‘head coach’, highlighting his function within the backroom group in addition to on the coaching pitch.
Arsenal have made main efforts to combine youth below the Basque boss – ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo’s record of one of the best managers on the planet proper now
Arsenal have focussed on youth below Arteta (Picture credit score: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC by way of Getty Photographs)
However now, one leftfield transfer has introduced itself, too. Spanish outlet Fichajes Arsenal are chasing Southampton star, Shea Charles, presently on mortgage at Sheffield Wednesday .
The 21-year-old is alleged to be “consistent with Mikel Arteta’s imaginative and prescient”, with the report noting that his “model of play, marked by an ideal stability between defence and creation, makes him a extremely sought-after, full midfielder.”
Arsenal have moved away from signing youthful skills in current seasons to purchasing extra established stars to enhance the ceiling of the squad slightly than the ground – so a transfer for Charles can be an intriguing one. However as Arteta’s affect doubtlessly grows at Arsenal, the switch technique could shift.
The supervisor was stated to be the driving consider signing Calafiori over the summer time, as per the Athletic
Who’s Shea Charles?
Shea Charles in motion throughout the Sheffield derby earlier this month (Picture credit score: Ed Sykes/Getty Photographs)
Shea Charles is a 21-year-old midfielder who joined Southampton from Manchester Metropolis’s academy in 2023. Able to enjoying as a defensive midfielder, centre-back or full-back, the teenager is seen as a technical athlete, and is presently garnering minutes within the Championship.
Maybe most curiously for Arsenal, nevertheless, is that Charles is already seen as a significant chief on the sphere. The teenager has already captained Northern Eire, with supervisor Michael O’Neill stating that , “Shea is a participant who since we put him within the group has taken an unlimited quantity of duty.”
Charles is already key for Northern Eire (Picture credit score: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile by way of Getty Photographs)
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Charles is heading for the very high of the sport, together with his mentality maybe the driving consider Arteta’s curiosity. The Gunners boss was enamoured with Calafiori for his “aura”, and it is doubtless that he sees the same factor in Charles, alongside together with his apparent potential in midfield.
Charles is value €10 million, in keeping with Transfermarkt Nottingham Forest this weekend when Premier League motion returns.
