The January transfer window slams shut in a little over a week and Arsenal are reportedly looking to snap up a player from one of their Premier League rivals.
Arsenal considering second attempt at Wolves star
Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar have set their sights on a move to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers star Rayan Ait-Nouri to bolster the club’s options at the back. The Gunners had a bid rejected for Ait-Nouri last week, with Liverpool also lurking with an interest.
Now, according to Football Insider, Edu and co are “considering” another swoop to sign the Algeria international before the end of the window, or could simply lay the groundwork to get it done in the summer. He is currently under contract through to the end of the 2025/26 campaign and Wolves have an option to extend that by 12 months, which means that they are in control of the situation and under no pressure to cash in.
The report claims that Arsenal and Liverpool continue to monitor his situation at the Molineux as they eye him up as a possible addition to their respective squads. However, it states that Ait-Nouri is likely to remain with the Old Gold beyond February’s deadline day and that a summer switch is more likely. The Gunners, and Jurgen Klopp’s side, are equipping themselves for a battle at the end of the season as Edu attempts to improve Arteta’s full-back options.
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Arsenal’s most expensive full-back signings (via Transfermarkt) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Fee paid |
Bought from |
|
Ben White |
£50.2m |
Brighton |
|
Jurrien Timber |
£34.3m |
Ajax |
|
Oleksandr Zinchenko |
£30m |
Manchester City |
|
Kieran Tierney |
£23.2m |
Celtic |
|
Jakub Kiwior |
£21.4m |
Spezia |
There is no mention this time of how much Wolves would demand for the defender, but the previous report of a rejected bid claimed it would take £50m to tempt Wolves into selling the versatile left-back, whether that is in January or the summer. It now remains to be seen who will be willing to make the first move out of Arsenal and Liverpool in the race to sign Gary O’Neil’s impressive ace.
Ait-Nouri’s Premier League form is outstanding
One of the reasons why Edu and Arteta may be considering a swoop for Ait-Nouri is that he is a proven Premier League performer who would not need any time to adapt to the rigours of English football. The Algerian whiz, who was hailed as “underrated” by analyst Ben Mattinson, has made 82 top-flight appearances for the Old Gold since his move to England from Angers, initially on loan, ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.
He is a dynamic and progressive left-back, as evidenced by his exceptional assist in the clip below, who could help the Gunners with his play in possession, and he is also versatile enough to play further up in a back five, as well as slot in on the left side of a back three if needs must.
In the Premier League this season, Ait-Nouri ranks within the top 15% of his positional peers for non-penalty Expected Goals (npxG) and Expected Assisted Goals combined per 90 (0.17), as well as for shot-creating actions per 90 (2.43), which speaks to his attacking quality.
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The 22-year-old dynamo, impressively, ranks in the top 1% of Premier League full-backs for successful take-ons per 90 (2.36) and this suggests that he could be particularly effective at bypassing the opposition’s press to then release the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard in space down the left flank.