Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Aug 17

Arsenal Chase £60 Million Defender Before Sept. 1 Deadline as Injuries Thin Back Line

Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Aug 17

Arsenal Chase £60 Million Defender Before Sept. 1 Deadline as Injuries Thin Back Line

Q: With Christos Tzolis dazzling on his debut, which established Arsenal attackers will be forced out before the looming transfer deadline?

The likeliest Arsenal attackers to be pushed out before the deadline are Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson, Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri, with Gabriel Martinelli also a genuine sale possibility if the right offer is accepted. The clearest cases are Vieira and Nelson. Both were left out of the Community Shield squad, both have been made available, and both have active interest. Hamburg want Vieira after his loan spell, while Nelson has interest from West Ham and clubs abroad. Neither looks part of Arteta’s core plans. Jesus is also vulnerable. He has dropped down the attacking pecking order, Arsenal are open to selling, and Italian interest is established, with AC Milan, Juventus and Napoli all linked. His wages and injury record complicate a move, but the club are plainly trying to find a solution. Nwaneri’s situation is slightly different, but the direction is similar. Arteta has said the teenager needs minutes, and multiple reports say he is expected to leave before the window shuts, either on loan or in a sale with protections such as a buy-back clause. His omission from the Community Shield squad reinforced that expectation. Martinelli is the biggest-name attacker under threat. Reports of a Galatasaray bid and Arsenal’s willingness to consider major sales suggest he could go if the club decide Tzolis and any further left-sided arrival make him expendable. Still, unlike Vieira, Nelson, Jesus and Nwaneri, his exit is not yet as advanced or inevitable.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 17

Mikel Arteta said Arsenal are trying to sign defenders before the Sept. 1 deadline after injuries left the champions short at the back despite a 3-0 Community Shield win over Manchester City.
William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are sidelined, leaving just one defender—Piero Hincapie—among nine substitutes and making defensive cover more urgent than another attacking addition.
Ezri Konsa is Arsenal’s main target, but Aston Villa are holding to a £60 million valuation, pushing the club to assess alternatives including Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah.
Up front, Arsenal have numbers but are weighing offers for several attackers after Ethan Nwaneri, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson all missed the matchday squad.
The reshaping comes from a position of strength: new signings Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis impressed, while Martin Odegaard starred as Arsenal opened the season looking dominant again.

Sources

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5 Sources

With Christos Tzolis dazzling on his debut, which established Arsenal attackers will be forced out before the looming transfer deadline?

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