Arsenal Transfer News: Breel Embolo Eyed, Zlatan Ibrahimovic Reacts to Rumours

Arsenal are reportedly ready to compete with north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in an attempt to sign Basel’s teenage sensation Breel Embolo.

Calciomercato (h/t Will Giles of Metro) claimed the Gunners are interested in the 18-year-old, who has made an exciting beginning to his career. It’s suggested in the piece that Embolo is valued at around £21 million, having already played for the Swiss national team despite his tender years.

There are plenty who expect the teenager to go on to achieve great things in the game. Here’s a look at why he’s rated so highly:

Embolo definitely seems tailor-made for English football. Although he’s still developing, physically he has the power and the pace to cope with the robust nature of the Premier League. His acceleration, dribbling ability and trickery are also qualities that set him apart when compared to the standard, target-man-type centre-forward.

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For Arsenal, Embolo could help solve a longstanding problem in the squad too. While manager Arsene Wenger currently has to choose between either Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott for the centre-forward berth—two players completely contrasting in style—he could do with a player who amalgamates the best bits of both.

British journalist and celebrity Arsenal fan Piers Morgan recent lambasted the lack of quality in this area of the pitch:

Embolo could be the player the Gunners are looking for to lead the attack, eventually. As aforementioned, all the attributes are in place for him to develop into an excellent centre-forward, but they are still malleable qualities and the teenager, as you would expect, is a little erratic when it comes to an end product.

If the Gunners could get Embolo on board, he’d potentially be a brilliant acquisition for the long term, although he’s not an immediate solution to the club’s longstanding striker issues.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Talks Arsenal

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Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has spoken about a possible move to Arsenal next season, as speculation continues to swirl about his future. 

The mercurial Swede has less than a year remaining on his contract with the French champions, with little inclination given as to whether he’ll extend his stay in Paris.

Ibrahimovic wouldn’t rule out a move to the Emirates Stadium when asked, but he did seem to suggest a Premier League move is unlikely.

“Arsenal? I think there is a lot of talk from today until the European [Championships in France]—there will be a lot of talks,” the 34-year-old told CNN (h/t Colin Harvey of the Daily Star). “… I don’t need to play in the Premier League. I was close two times. Arsenal one time. City one time. But it never happened.”

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Ibrahimovic, despite his advancing years, would certainly be an asset to the Gunners, as he remains one of the standout centre-forwards in European football. As noted by Squawka Football, the Swedish international is still in excellent form:

Despite his star quality, the 34-year-old doesn’t tick the boxes when it comes to a Wenger signing. Not only is Ibrahimovic in the twilight of his career, but he’d command massive wages too. While you suspect there are plenty of outfits across the globe ready to pay the talismanic figure what he wants, Arsenal are not a side who spend flippantly on salaries.

It’d be intriguing to see how Ibrahimovic fared in the Premier League given the successes he has sampled in France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. However, it seems increasingly likely the striker will never grace English football’s top flight and if he does, it’d be a big surprise if it was for Arsenal.