HERE WE GO: Arsenal finally agree a total transfer fee to sign an incredible winger who’s far better than Gabriel Martinelli, the player is currently having medical in London now and will be announced today- He’ll provide 30-assists to Viktor Gyokeres
It’s already been a very busy summer transfer window for Arsenal, but the spending spree appears set to continue.
On Friday, Noni Madueke was unveiled as the club’s latest new recruit, arriving from Chelsea for a reported fee of £52m.
He is the club’s fourth signing of the summer, after Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martín Zubimendi and Christian Nørgaard, while most are forecasting that Viktor Gyökeres and Cristhian Mosquera will soon follow.
Nevertheless, as Mikel Arteta targets the Premier League title, he is far from done there, with the Gunners seemingly set to make a move for another “exceptional” talent.
Arsenal looking to add more firepower
As the table below documents, Madueke became the seventh player in just seven years to join Arsenal from fierce London rivals Chelsea.
The general weariness from Gooners when it comes signing Chelsea cast-off explains some of the apathy towards this this deal, but Sam Dean of the Telegraph believes Madueke will be an excellent addition to Arteta’s forward options.
Now though, Mark Brus of Caught Offside is reporting that Arsenal have opened talks with RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons’ representatives, adding that the Dutchman is ‘available’ for £52m, ahead of a potential swoop for the player.
The 22-year-old only made his move to die Roten Bullen from Paris Saint-Germain permanent in January, costing around £43m, but a report by Yvonne Gabriel of German newspaper BILD claims he wants to leave, after Leipzig failed to qualify for any European competition, prioritising a move to the Premier League.
So, could he become the eighth Netherlands international to represent Arsenal, linking up with Jurriën Timber, while following in the footsteps of Robin van Persie, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Marc Overmars, Dennis Bergkamp and others?
How Xavi Simons would improve Arsenal
Simons has been in the spotlight for a very long time, despite still being just 22 years old, very much aptly described as a wonderkid.
He spent time in the academies of Barcelona and PSG, but his real breakthrough came at PSV Eindhoven in the 2022/23 season, registering 22 goals and 11 assists for the Eredivisie giants, winning the KNVB Beker and Johan Cruyff Schaal.
Given his form, PSG enacted a buy-back clause worth just £5m, although he only ever made 11 senior appearances for les Rouge-et-Bleu across two spells, loaned out to Leipzig, before being sold for a massive profit earlier this year, as already mentioned.
In Eastern Germany, Simons has certainly caught the eye, scoring 21 goals and accumulating 23 assists in 76 appearances, including netting ten times in the Bundesliga last season.
Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund labelled him an “exceptional player”, while Sultan Babajide of Breaking the Lines asserts that he is ‘destined for the top’, able to operate both centrally and out-wide, given that he is ‘brilliant between the lines’.
