ORNSTEIN REVEALS ARSENAL ‘REALLY LIKE’ NEWCASTLE STAR AS ‘PRESSURE’ BUILDS ON ARTETA TO ‘DELIVER’

The Athletic journalist David Ornstein has revealed that Arsenal “really like” Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes ahead of the summer transfer window.

Recent reports have claimed that the Gunners are ready to be active again in the summer transfer market with speculation that they are prepared to spend north of £200m.

Deals for Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya cost Arsenal big money last summer and they are prepared to support Mikel Arteta by spending again.

A new striker and winger are seen as priorities, while midfield is also an area they will look at improving if they can get the right deal over the line.

Newcastle’s Guimaraes is being looked at by a number of clubs in the Premier League and around Europe ahead of the summer with his contract including a £100m release clause.

And The Athletic‘s Ornstein insists that Arsenal could be one of the clubs to try and tempt him away from Newcastle with the Gunners one of a number of clubs who “really like” the Brazilian.

Ornstein said on The Athletic FC podcast: “Then you go into that sort of midfielder bracket – somebody I think off the top of my head that Arsenal and other clubs really like is Bruno Guimaraes. He can play in the eight role and the six.

“Newcastle will hope to keep hold of him, but there is a release clause though. Anyone who is going to take him, he’s got to deliver straight away. Arsenal may be looking.”

And Ornstein reckons Arteta now “has pressure on him” to succeed after being given the tools ahead of another busy summer for Arsenal.

Ornstein added: “There are certain parts of the team that need solving: the goalscoring area, parts of the central midfield, huge uncertainty over so many players in the squad.

“We could see a very different Arsenal team going into next season and the years ahead.

“There are steps they’ve taken to upgrade by bringing in the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City, seasoned winners who have helped bring Arsenal on, but there are questions if Arsenal have already moved past that stage and whether players like that need to be moved on.

“Mikel Arteta has pressure on him. And I don’t mean in terms of his job security, I just mean in terms of delivering results to keep Arsenal on this positive trajectory.

“But it’s not a school playground. It’s time to deliver. I think he can do that but some tough decisions need to be made.”

2024-04-19T12:17:00Z dg43tfdfdgfd