Georginio Wijnaldum is believed to extremely close to joining Barcelona on a free transfer this summer, but Arsenal could well have tabled their own offer for his signature.
The Gunners are definitely in need of midfield additions this summer, with Dani Ceballos having returned to Real Madrid following his second loan spell with the club, while you could argue that we have been light in that area of the pitch throughout the campaign.
Wijnaldum would no doubt be a great option for us if we could attract him to quit Anfield in favour of such a move, and while he does appear to be on the verge of a move to the Camp Nou, Sport.s claims that two English clubs are also in the hunt.
HITC believes that Arsenal are likely to be one of those un-named sides, claiming that both Mo Elneny and Granit Xhaka could well depart this summer also.
They also relate the potential signing as similar to deals of late which have allowed Willian, Cedric Soares and David Luiz arriving despite their advancing years.
Could Wijnaldum consider a move to the Emirates if the contract was right? Would Wijnaldum and Partey be the ideal partnership in midfield?
Patrick
With the experience of WIllian and Soares, although the latter has performed well whenever given the opportunity, they should remain away from Wijnaldum. They should be looking at younger and better options such as Anguissa from Fulham, or even Berge. At least they have age on their side and also have a good resale value, if Arsenal want to move them on.
No thanks.
No need of him he has been used already with reds for me is big no..
This is an interesting one. Unfortunately we’ve been burned by these kinds of signings recently, but in principle, there’s nothing wrong with signing relatively old players – they’re not all the same and some older players have left big clubs and contributed massively somewhere else. Luis Suarez is a good, recent example – all depends on the player’s mentality and motivations.
I think the reason Willian didn’t work out is that he’s a talented player who has always benefited from being in teams with strong leaders; in that environment, he’s been really effective, however we can’t provide that environment at arsenal right now.
Wijnaldum has always been consistent to my mind, even at Newcastle, and does, I think, have leadership qualities, so I think he has a much better chance of working out at arsenal. Still, the big question is: what would his motivations for joining arsenal be? If he’s just chasing the big contract, definitely steer clear, but if he’s looking for a new challenge where he can be a relatively big influence, it might be a good move for both parties.
Wijnaldum is still a top performer and Liverpool will miss his skill, drive and energy.Despite being available as a “free” his acquisition would be seen as a short term fix whereas a longer term performing asset, like Bissouma, is far more sensible.