Arsenal have been linked with a move to sign Anthony Martial from Manchester United recently, and Carlton Palmer has given his opinion on the rumours.
The forward arrived from Monaco with huge potential, and thoroughly impressed in his debut season in the Premier League, but his progress has stalled somewhat in recent years.
There is now a wealth of rivals for the forward roles, and he would appear to have fallen down the pecking order, which can only fuel the transfer rumour mill, with the Gunners claimed to hold an interest in his signature.
Former midfielder Palmer was asked if a move to north London would be a downgrade however, and he insists that it shouldn’t be considered the case.
He told ThisIsFutbol: “It all depends how you see a downgrade. Everyone had Mikel Arteta sacked after the first three weeks of the season, now he’s won three on the bounce. Arsenal are a massive club so it’s not a downgrade to go to Arsenal.
“People are thinking and saying ‘well, are Arsenal going to challenge for the league title?’ No. But I think what they’ve done in terms of revamping the squad, reducing the age of the squad, they’re building for the future.
“Anthony Martial is still a young player so if he isn’t getting game time at Manchester United, then of course that becomes an option. But do you sell somebody like Anthony Martial, who’s a very talented player, to your competitor? Very unlikely.”
OT. Just watched the Palace game and Patrick Vieria was the personification of a manager in control of his players and tactics.
Regarding the article… get ready for the usual reactions like “We don’t want any more manure (insert any team of your choice) rubbish 😂😂😂
Ken, I attended that Palace v Leicester game and both Vieiras subs then promptly scored. Plus the whole crowd gave constasnt and magnificent support even while 0-2 down.
By a distance the single best crowd, pro rata, in the Prem.
Ref. the article, I could not agree with you more , though I hold reservations about the work ethic or rather lack of it, from Martial.
He looks another Pepe, in being inconsistent and sometimes lazy, to my mind. Good player though(AM) BUT only on his day!
Looked a really exciting match on TV Jon and that crowd never stopped chanting – like our fans last Sunday.
PV’s subs worked out perfectly, but I always believe substitutions (and their merits) are a lottery.
Are tickets for the Palace games expensive and difficult to obtain?