The Hard Tackle brings to you an assimilation of all the news involving the Premier League club Arsenal FC today
Arsenal fans have endured a rather tough start to 2017. A narrow win against Crystal Palace was followed by a battling 3-3 draw at Bournemouth. But there is some news to cheer all you Gooners as the Hard Tackle brings all the news involving your precious club in one place, at the perusal of your click.
Not quite the January signing that was expected, especially after the poor run of results in December. But Cohen Bramall was snapped up by the Gunners from non-league outfit Hednesford Town in a £40,000 transfer.
Even though the player is a low-profile signing, Arsene Wenger has talked the youngster up, hailing him as a young Ashley Cole. And even though a large union of Arsenal fans are unaware of his talents, Wenger’s comments has brought about a lot of hype surrounding the player.
And, as has been revealed, the player is set to feature for Arsenal’s Under-23 team for starters, competing with Marc Bola for a spot in the starting eleven under the watchful eyes of Steve Gatting. The player has been handed the number 85 jersey at Emirates, which signifies that the player is unlikely to feature for the first-team this season.
That’s right, it’s official
Welcome to Arsenal, @cbramall96 ?https://t.co/JOdkLrSh6s
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) January 10, 2017
But another sign of encouragement, is the 10.9 seconds time that the youngster has recorded over a 100 meters, which pits the player right up there with Arsenal superstar Hector Bellerin, who is regarded as the undisputed king of sprint at the Emirates.
Whether Bramall would see a rise equivalent to that of Bellerin remains to be seen. However, all the signs point to a positive future for the 20-year-old.
Sticking to the defence, Arsenal may be set to bid adieu to their captain Per Mertesacker, albeit temporarily. The German veteran is reported to be allowed to leave on loan in January by the Gunners, in case the player is unable to gain enough fitness in the eyes of Wenger to be named in the squad for Champions League knockout phase.
Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny has formed a brilliant partnership at the back in the veteran’s absence and with the duo likely to be favoured by Wenger, Mertesacker might have to look elsewhere to gain first-team playing time.
Another story related to the defence and this time it is a potential arrival that has been reported. Kostas Manolas’s agent Ioannis Evangelopoulos has revealed that AS Roma had rejected a £35 million bid from Arsenal for the Greek defender.
Ioannis further added that Arsenal were put off by AS Roma’s asking price during the negotiations and decided against pursuing the player. But it seems to worked out perfectly fine for the Gunners. The club ended up signing Shkodran Mustafi and the German international has taken to the club and the surroundings with ease.
As things have panned out, the failed pursuit of the Greek defender has not Kostas a lot, thanks to Mustafi. On to another defender, and this time it is a Bundesliga left-back who has been linked with Arsenal. Sead Kolasinac is reportedly being eyed in a potential summer move to the Emirates.
Juventus are also in the race, however. And unlike Arsenal, the Serie A outfit are set to launch a move to snap up the left-back in January itself. Kolasinac’s Schalke deal is set to expire at the end of the season, but Arsenal will have to move now in order to beat Bianconeri to the Bosnian international.
On to the midfield and it’s another transfer story involving a potential arrival. Paris Saint-Germain’s summer signing Grzegorz Krychowiak has been reportedly put on the market. And reports are that Arsenal and Manchester City are set to vie for the Polish international.
Arsenal could really do with an addition to their midfield, with Jack Wilshere out on loan to Bournemouth, Elneny away at African Cup of Nations (AFCoN) and Santi Cazorla’s injury troubles. The player was signed by PSG for a hefty fee of nearly £30 million.
But Arsenal are unlikely to be interested in a deal around that amount. Also, Krychowiak will be ineligible to represent Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League, which makes a January approach highly unlikely.
On to the positions up ahead and exciting Arsenal forward Chuba Akpom could be on his way to the Championship with three sides interested in a loan deal for the 21-year-old, who has made just one appearance this season for Arsenal.
Cardiff City, Fulham and Brentford are all linked with Akpom. Fulham are the highest placed in the Championship among the three interested sides. But it is Brentford who might be the club which needs Akpom the most.
The Bees have rejected multiple bids from West Ham United for their prolific striker Scott Hogan, but may not be able to hold off much longer as the Hammers keep coming back with a better offer each time.
In such a scenario, Akpom could be the perfect addition at Griffin Park. The 21-year-old would get an extended run in the first-team setup and will be able to garner invaluable experience, which would be useful when he returns to Arsenal in the summer.
