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Edu kicks off Arsenal’s transfer season in style with two reported signings wrapped up

Arsenal to wrap up two signings this month

It looks like Arsenal’s Technical Director Edu Gaspar is not wasting any time to bolster the current squad, regardless of whether they are playing in the Champions League or the Europa League next season.

After multiple reports suggested that Arsenal are working on the final paperwork for the signature of Brazilian youngster Marquinhos, it has come to our attention that the club are now nearing the completion of the transfer of Aaron Hickey too.

The 19-year-old is one of the best young full-backs plying their trade in Europe. And Italian news outlet Calcio Napoli exclusively reports that the Gunners are on the verge of signing him for a fee in between €20-25 million.

That is a great bit of business for a player who has been attracting a lot of attention, since his switch from Scottish side Hearts to Italian outfit Bologna in 2020.

Despite his age, the youngster has made an impressive 46 appearances for his current employers, while also recording 34 for his former side.

That’s 80 senior appearances for a boy who’s still a teenager.

The report further stated that fellow Serie A side Napoli were also seriously interested in signing the youngster.

But the sports director’s visit to London proved decisive in Arsenal landing the highly regarded full-back.

Hickey has also made two appearances for the Scottish national side, despite the team boasting the likes of Liverpool’s Andy Robertson and Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney on his preferred position.

Tierney’s consistent injury problems and a solid back-up to Takehiro Tomiyasu is the reason why Mikel Arteta wants to bring the young Scotsman to the Emirates Stadium.

It seems like the Spaniard has been left unimpressed with last summer signing Nuno Tavares, who has had a mixed debut season in the Premier League.

It’s good to see the club showing ambition and willing to exploit good opportunities in the market. It finally appears that the owners don’t want to hold back.

Yash Bisht

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Video – Mikel Arteta on Tottenham, the referee and bad news on Gabriel

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49 Comments

  2. Poor Tavares, because I think he has a tremendous potential. Or maybe Tierney got some suitors? Joel Lopez is also waiting for his promotion

    If Marquinhos isn’t loaned out, Pepe would most likely be sold. We still have Hutchinson and Raphinha would likely be available for only 25 M in the summer, despite the strong link with Barcelona

    Jesus will be a good addition, but he is too similar to Nketiah. We still need someone like Kalajdzic, Mateta or Weghorst, if Burnley get relegated

    1. I also feel the same about Tavares, I think he he needs a top coach like kloop to bring out the best in him not someone like Arteta.

            1. YES REGGIE, NOT YOU THATS SO RIGHT.

              PERISH THE THOUGHT THAT YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE, WOULD EVER SAY ANYTHINGPOSITIVE ABOUT MA.

      2. Hopefully Tavares will just be loaned out. If the coaches have time to train him for a more attacking role, he could thrive like Bale since his weaker foot is quite adept

        Arteta has shown his abilities to improve some players, such as Saka and Xhaka. Unfortunately he has to focus on winning first next season, otherwise he’ll be strongly criticized again

        Klopp isn’t a miracle worker in player development either. Otherwise he would’ve brought the best out of Ozan Kabak, Shaqiri and Origi

        1. The grass will always be greener in the other side to some people GAI,bright response mate.lol

      3. Lenohappy, The problem is that TAVARES is in no way or shape a defender at all. But his strengths are in going forward, where he is definitely talented.

        He needs to be played in an attacking role(not striker of course) and then I feel sure we will see he is a potential top player in the making.

        He should NEVER have been played as full back IMO.

        1. Jon, I have replied to your post regarding MA and Holding – perhaps you could respond?

        2. I agreed with you on Tavares, definitely he has strength on attacking ability, but not as much as being wing forward I think.

          And defending skill and positioning could be fixed by training relatively easier, and thanks to his physical and body size are competitive as pull back. So if MA gives him a time and appropriate training direction, he would fulfill his potential.

          A left choice is which is better whether loan or training on team, I think training on team would be better. even though we bring Hickey, still the left back isn’t sure. Tierney will be just returned from surgery and Hickey isn’t proved in PL

    2. If white and Gabriel are asked tomorrow I would be cautious with them by playing 352 I would use Saka and Tavares as the wing backs, with ESR and Martinelli as the 2 forwards. When the 2 up front tire replace them with Laca and Eddie.

      1. I don’t think we’ll play with a three-CB formation as we’re currently thin in CB department

    3. on what all this potential claim is based? the guy has nothing but athleticism. in every other respect he is not even mediocre but plain poor: technique, corosses, positioning, desicion making, first tuch, defending, 1v1. he is actualy the worst player in Arsenal shirt for years. from such a low level I can’t see him ever getting nearly good enough.

      1. He is good when attacking and possesses a quite adept weaker foot to cut inside. He is sloppy in our own half sometimes, but it could be fixed since he’s still very young

    4. Arsenal should go for Darwin Nunez., Laturo Martinez Arsenal should make a statement signing in CF and not who can’t give 20 goals a season. Jesus, Mateta and Kalajdzic would not give us 20 goals in premier league.

      1. I reckon Arteta’s system doesn’t make the CF score more than twenty goals a season, similar to Klopp’s and Guardiola’s that rely on the wingers/ midfielders to score

        Martinez has similar stature as Nketiah and Jesus, whereas Nunez seems to be injury prone. It’d be great if we sign them, but I don’t think Arsenal will spend that much

        1. the pulse nine is what MA are seeking? I doubt. definitely arsenal needs a player playing pulse nine position and also wing forward, to give more options to attacking build up.

          But is it really the type MA chase? we need to remind last winter window. Vlahovic is close to complete forward style and it is believed MA choice. So I think MA wants a player who can produce a lot of goal and fighting in the box. Link up play is additional part to striker. Though it is not conventional number 9, productivity of goal is key point for center forward choice I think.

          1. Based on Arteta’s interview and Vlahovic rumors, Arteta wanted a productive CF. However, the recent news about Jesus shows a different priority now, since Jesus isn’t a prolific CF

            Jesus has never been Man City’s main CF, but I don’t think his goal tally can increase if he becomes our main CF. He wasn’t highly productive at Palmeiras and Brazil national team, so I doubt he becomes Henry 2.0 at Arsenal

            This is why I’d prefer Arsenal sign two CF types

  3. Ooh I will be so happy if we can truly sign this Scotland guy hickey, I was just telling a friend last week how I wish arsenal can sign him, the boy is so good and can play with both feet. I just hope Arteta don’t ruin his career likes his doing with some.

  4. personally i do feel its KT going if any
    LB are to be sold.

    Nuno needs some time to develop, KT is always injured and cant play more than 25 games per season – as good as he is at what he does

    This video is my exact thoughts on KT and we shouldnt forget the Madrid rumour a few weeks back

  6. Good young prospects. I too hope Edu and Arteta take a good look at Academy potentials like Joel Lopez.

  8. Congrats Edu Gasper. But, I hope Arteta will not just allow those promising lads to come become bench warmers in the name of they’re not yet ready for Epl. A learning Barber dose not barb a 🐐 to learn.

  9. An idiot on here claims this is not a youth project when all we’ve been signing are 23 yrs and below,still don’t know when they are going to realise we are building a team capable of challenging for tittles in few years time not presently,staying pessimistic cos they think the manager is inexperienced.

    1. I’m not the idiot you refer to but you do understand the meaning of youth I assume? 23 year olds are adults and have been since they were 18, youth teams are under 18s. There is a youth project but the players you refer to are not youths!

      3. But youth is defined as the period between 15 to 25 years old.. That’s in football terms.
        And in real life Youth is between 15-29 years old depending on what country you are in.

          1. Youth can be referred to as the time of life when one is young. This involves childhood, and the time of life which is neither childhood nor adulthood, but rather somewhere in between. The United Nations defines youth as persons between the ages of 15 and 20 with all UN statistics based on this range, the UN states education as a source for these statistics. The UN also recognizes that this varies without prejudice to other age groups listed by member states such as 18–30. A useful distinction within the UN itself can be made between teenagers (i.e. those between the ages of 13 and 19) and young adults (those between the ages of 20 and 29

            The general consensus is that youth lasts up to, and including, the age of 29. Once a person has reached the age of 30, the majority of Brits no longer consider them to be young.06 Mar 2018
            https://yougov.co.uk › 2018/03/06
            How young are “young people”

            Soo….I’ve decided to use inexperience as a criteria for “youth”

  10. Edu seem to change his strategy this coming summer,he is acting very quickly and I like it.Dont west time on one player if you don’t want to sign with Arsenal go.By June sign everything and put everything in the bag.Keepvit up brother Edu I trust in you

  11. Now if we could have been this proactive in January we might already have had Champions League wrapped up by now.

  12. The Brazilian lad will be going out on loan to a Spanish club by all accounts.

    As for Hickey, it will be interesting to see if he’s just cover for Tierney or if starts at LB. Tavares could be pushed up to play winger, which in turn could see Martinelli play as a striker.

  13. I will suggest …..Tavares be transitioned into a wing forward like Thoe Walcott

    Both shares same values.

    He is a good player

  14. I am keen to know the identity of the manin that video who promotes the idea of selling Tierney. Leaving aside for now whether or not I agree with him , what came over was his sheer intelligence, excellent pacy speech and non waffly way of putting his case across.

    I found him a breath of fresh air personally and would love to identify him and hope he already is on JA and if he is, would he be on FAR MORE OFTEN.

    BRAINS LIKE HIS ARE ALL TOO RARE ON HERE.

    I do see a lot of sense in the argument he made AND, impressively, he gave many sound reasons and spoke with real and full context.
    Applause from me , whoever he be.

  16. Surely this spells the end of Tavares and Pepe – a player that Emery never wanted to sign in the first place.
    Marquinhos comes with a reputation as a talented young winger and only 19 you cannot really go wrong for just 2.5 million and with his potential sell on value.
    I don’t know too much about Hickey to be honest but again – hardly a huge fee there.
    As long as they don’t go for Calvert – Lewin I have optimism for the summer.

  17. on what all this potential claim is based? the guy has nothing but athleticism. in every other respect he is not even mediocre but plain poor: technique, corosses, positioning, desicion making, first tuch, defending, 1v1. he is actualy the worst player in Arsenal shirt for years. from such a low level I can’t see him ever getting nearly good enough.

  18. Tavares has talent going forward and makes intelligent runs behind defenders. If Hicky comes in, Tavares can be played upfront on the left side. Looks like Pepe will be sold with the young Brazilian coming in. I only hope we sign a experienced striker and a strong reliable midfielder.

  19. Stop buying for the future while the clubis in dire need of players fir present.. Fed up of pursueing useless youngsters like Sambi, Tavares, Saliba etc etc costing us a lot of oue valuable and limited resources but not adding anything to our results..

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