Reports suggest that Arsenal targeted Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara in the summer, although a move never materialised.
According to Football Insider, Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara was a subject of interest from Arsenal as the Premier League side searched for a central midfielder. The report reveals the Finnish midfielder was on the list of names the Gunners targeted, although it’s unclear why a move never happened.
Arsenal spent the whole summer searching for a central midfielder or two, as Mikel Arteta sought new options as cover or competition. The future of Granit Xhaka was uncertain throughout the summer as he flirted with a move to AS Roma. He eventually stayed and signed a new deal after a move to the Italian side collapsed.
Arsenal would have been inclined to sign at least two central midfielders had the Swiss captain left, although they eventually captured Anderlecht’s Sambi Lokonga. The Belgian has made a lasting impression in the opening weeks despite Arsenal utterly struggling to get to grips this season.
Before Lokonga was signed, the club were pursuing several targets. These players had to fit into the mould of players Arteta wanted to sign for the rebuild. The club’s technical director Edu explained in an interview recently the reasoning behind the many signings the club made, and one player certainly fit the criteria.
Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara, 25, was reportedly a target and featured in the list of names the Gunners wanted to sign. In fact, the report claims that the north Londoners even offered him a five-year deal. However, a move never materialised, and the Finnish international remained at the Scottish champions. Rangers have now offered him a new contract which he is yet to sign.
Kamara was part of the Arsenal U-18s and U-23s setups. He did make a solitary senior appearance playing in a League Cup tie for the Gunners against Sheffield Wednesday back in October 2015. He later moved to Dundee in 2017 and was snapped up by Rangers in January 2019.
At Ibrox, Kamara has become a key figure in Steven Gerrard’s setup as the team won their first Scottish Premiership title since 2011. Rangers certainly value him and wanted to keep hold of the player despite Arsenal’s reported interest, which turned into the five-year contract offer at some stage of the summer window.
However, it seems like Arsenal have moved on with their need to sign a central midfielder by bringing in Lokonga. It remains to be seen if the Gunners might go back with an offer for Kamara if his contractual situation at Rangers does not change.
