Arsenal have been offered the chance to sign a high-profile player who is demanding huge wages after his representatives reached out directly to the north London side, according to reports.
Arsenal face squad depth issues early in the season
Despite a summer in which the club spent almost £100m, there are already early season problems for Mikel Arteta to navigate as they look to land their first Premier League title in 20 years. They return after the international break with a trip to north London rivals Tottenham, which promises to be a tough game for the Gunners, and it will be made even harder by absences.
New signing Mikel Merino injured his shoulder in his first training session thanks to a collision with Gabriel, which is set to sideline him for at least another six weeks. He watched his side from the stands with his arm in a sling against Brighton. The draw with the Seagulls was costly too, with Declan Rice now suspended for the north London derby courtesy of his controversial second yellow card early in the second half.
There is also concern over Martin Odegaard, who Norway boss Stale Solbakken revealed picked up “another bang” on international duty, though Odegaard later insisted he was fine.
It means that as it stands, Jorginho and Thomas Partey will be playing in midfield against Tottenham, which will be a concern for Arsenal fans given their ages (31 and 32 years old respectively) and the duos relative lack of athleticism, which has been showcased on several occasions across the past 12 months.
With Merino sidelined long term, Arteta will undoubtedly be looking for short term solutions to the problem, and now he may have just been offered one.
Free agent offers himself to Arsenal
That comes as prominent free agent Adrien Rabiot has reportedly offered himself directly to Arsenal and other top English clubs. The Frenchman left Juventus at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, but is yet to have accepted any offer to play for another side and remains a free agent, something that national team Didier Deschamps described as “a somewhat embarrassing situation”.
Rabiot has turned down chances to play in both Saudi Arabia and Turkey as he looks for a new club, and now The Boot Room claim that “talks have taken place with every major club in England”, and that “Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have been approached” by his agents in an attempt to place him in the Premier League.
The 29-year-old has an impressive CV, having played at both Juventus and PSG while also being a mainstay in the French national team across the last two major tournaments. However, he is currently thought to be demanding around £220,000 a week to make any move, which would place him above several of Arsenal’s standout stars, including international teammate William Saliba.
Player | Weekly wage (via Capology) |
Kai Havertz | £280,000 |
Gabriel Jesus | £265,000 |
Declan Rice | £240,000 |
Martin Odegaard | £240,000 |
Thomas Partey | £200,000 |
With that in mind, plus the ageing midfielders already on Arsenal’s books, a move for the Frenchman looks unlikely regardless of any approach to the north London side.
