Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Isco, Alexandre Lacazette, Gonzalo Higuain Rumours
Arsenal will not be signing Real Madrid’s Isco in the January window, but they could rekindle their interest in Los Blancos midfielder next summer.
That’s according to “reports in Spain,” as cited by Marc Williams of the Daily Star, that claim the Spanish international feels as though his best chance of nailing down a spot in the national team for next summer’s European championships is by staying with Madrid and playing well.
Isco has also recently admitted he expects to fight for his place in the starting XI, per Williams’ report: “This is Madrid and no one hands you anything. I work so I’m 100% and I can’t complain about the minutes I’m getting.”
The technical style with which Arsenal plays under manager Arsene Wenger would suit Isco perfectly, who is a wonderful passer of the ball and boasts superb in-game intelligence. As we can see here, courtesy of WhoScored.com, he is a player who’s more than willing to carry the ball and commit opponents, too:
Still, it’s not a deal that would suit either club. Isco is a player who is too valuable to this Real Madrid squad, given his stunning ability and flexibility when it comes to playing in a host of positions. He may not be first choice at the moment, but should Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez or Cristiano Ronaldo be absent, he’ll most likely be the man to step in.
Arsenal have plenty of players in this particular mould anyway. Wenger needs to address the team’s options at the point of the attack and a little deeper in the midfield before launching another rapacious splurge on an attacking midfield man, even though Isco would instantly become one of the brightest stars in the Premier League.
Arsenal Monitoring Alexandre Lacazette
According to Spanish outlet TMW, which cites L'Equipe (h/t Will Giles of Metro), Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Alexandre Lacazette’s situation at Lyon, with the forward admitting his unhappiness at the conduct of club president Jean-Michel Aulas.
As noted by Giles, Aulas made contractual details public during the summer months, while speculation raged about Lacazette’s long-term future, per L'Equipe (via Get French Football): “Yes, his behaviour hurt and disappointed me,” the French international reportedly said.
This turbulent summer has paved the way for a rocky beginning to the season for Lacazette after the highs of the 2014-15 term, scoring just one goal in Ligue 1 so far this season. The timing of his quotes does seem peculiar, too, as noted by Bleacher Report’s European football expert Andy Brassell:
Last season, Lacazette was reliant on the creative work done by Nabil Fekir, who is currently out with a long-term injury; without his cerebral qualities supplying the ammunition, the forward has failed to fire.
Still, that's something that would bode well should a move to Arsenal come about, given the excess of intricate attacking players available to Wenger.
Given Lyon qualified for the Champions League in the last campaign, Lacazette always seemed likely to stick around this season. But with his relationship with the president clearly at a precarious point, sides like Arsenal should be keeping an eye on matters in case this exciting forward does become available soon.
Gonzalo Higuain Happy at Napoli
Reported long-term Arsenal target Gonzalo Higuain has no intentions of leaving Napoli anytime soon, according to his brother and agent, Nicolas.
“He's happy with Sarri,” he told Radio Crc (h/t Chisanga Malata of the Daily Star). “Everyone wants to play football, and the important thing is that he's calm, he's realised what Sarri wants and now he just has to remain calm and focused.”
Napoli seem to be clicking into gear after a transitional spell at the start of the campaign. They’ve beaten Lazio 5-0 and Juventus 2-1 in their previous two home matches, and after the Bianconeri’s poor beginning to the season, they may see themselves as having an outside chance of challenging for the Serie A title.
Higuain will need to be at his very best to do so, but as we can see here, courtesy of WhoScored.com, the Argentina international has started the campaign with a swagger:
Manager Maurizio Sarri is getting the best out of Higuain, and although Napoli are not in the Champions League, he seems settled at the San Paolo. The early signs are that, this season, the Partenopei are ready to qualify for Europe’s elite competition and maybe even win their first league title since 1990.
Arsenal, who were close to signing Higuain in 2013, per David Hytner of the Guardian, will most probably be resigned to not signing the striker now, but it’s clear Wenger needs reinforcements in this particular facet of his squad. Whether he decides to address these issues in January or next summer is likely to play a major part in determining the Gunners’ eventual fortunes for the 2015-16 season.
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