Arsenal are in pursuit of a winger and this could spell trouble for a number of players currently in the Gunners’ ranks.
Bayern Munich flyer Kingsley Coman has been linked to the club, but securing his signature will come at a price.
New boss Unai Emery has wasted little time in working with Sven Mislintat to strengthen his new squad, recruiting five players, but the Basque tactician could still make the most significant signing of his short reign in north London.
Emery has so far alleviated previous frustrations with a lack of transfer activity in the summer: Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Bernd Leno and Lucas Torreira have all signed, with 19-year-old Matteo Guendouzi making a more low-profile switch.
Circa £40m is being bandied around as the fee it would take to prise Coman away from the Allianz Arena, so which Arsenal players could make way to fund their spending spree?
Nacho Monreal
A seasoned professional, the versatile defender has formed an integral component in Arsenal’s defence for a number of seasons now, and was a regular starter for Wenger last term. At 32, the Spaniard is very much entering his twilight years, but last campaign he enjoyed his most prolific goalscoring season, netting five Premier League goals – having just netted once in his previous five years at the club.
Granted, his defensive capabilities form the most significant part of his creed, but having a quick glance back at the sumptuous volley he scored against West Ham last season will tell you that Monreal packs some serious technical ability to compliment his defensive attributes.
Such was his imperious form, that he even earned a call-up to the Spain squad for the World Cup this summer, though despite not featuring once, the option of bringing on a defensive stalwart in Monreal’s mould is a comforting thought for any manager. Emery may want to tinker with his tactics this season, and with a player like Monreal, he has the option to deploy the defender pretty much anywhere across the back line.
Sead Kolasinac may step up this season and make the left-back berth his own, while there will certainly be more able-bodied full-backs on the market to replace Monreal, but after such a brilliant campaign, it would be foolish to let the former Malaga man go, especially as he is unlikely to command a serious fee.
Verdict: Keep. Even if Monreal doesn’t start in Emery’s new system, he makes a fantastic backup option.
Danny Welbeck
On his day Welbeck can be a deadly force in the final third, unfortunately, that day just does not come around often enough. A player on the periphery of first-team action under Wenger, it will be hard to see where the England forward will fit into a team now packed with an abundance of attacking riches. Last season’s arrivals of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang already placed Welbeck’s starting place in the balance, while recruiting a player of Coman’s ilk will surely close the chapter on Welbeck’s time in north London.
His stint at the Emirates has, at times, been marred by injury problems, but even when fully fit the former Manchester United forward has failed to capitalise and put teams to the sword.
Welbeck could flourish under the tutelage of a manager like Emery, but given the former PSG manager’s preference for either the 4-3-3 formation or 4-2-3-1, it is most likely – if not inevitable – that he will deploy Aubameyang, Lacazette and Henrikh Mkhitaryan across the front three in the former formation, as well as the latter, while Mesut Ozil would occupy the central playmaker role in the 4-2-3-1.
Verdict: Sell. The formations above would indicate Welbeck’s role in the side would be reduced to sporadic appearances only, which will probably not go down well with a player in his prime. He may also bring in the most money.