Arteta likes what he sees as Arsenal plot January raid for experienced star
Mikel Arteta is a fan of a Portugal international and reportedly wants Arsenal to launch a bid for him in the January transfer window.
The manager is eager to bolster his team due to their indifferent form in the Premier League. They beat north London rivals Tottenham towards the end of September before being held to a frustrating draw by Brighton.
They snatched a point against Crystal Palace in their next game thanks to an injury-time goal from Alexandre Lacazette. Their most recent outing culminated in a 3-1 home win over Aston Villa.
Young talent Emile Smith Rowe starred, registering a goal and assist at the Emirates. More performances like that will be needed if Arsenal are to get back into Europe.
Arteta knows that he needs more leaders in his squad if they are to improve further. The likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Lacazette are influential, although more men like them are needed.
That requirement could see the Gunners turn to a well-respected Portugal midfielder in January. Goal, citing reports in the Spanish press, claim that Arsenal are interested in William Carvalho.
The 29-year-old generally operates in a defensive capacity, helping to break up opposition attacks. He has achieved 69 caps for the Portugal national team and regularly appears alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
Arteta supposedly wants to bring the player in for the second half of the campaign. He is struggling to get the best out of £45m signing Thomas Partey in the centre of the pitch, even though the Ghanaian scored against Villa.
The Spaniard is also without influential star Granit Xhaka due to a knee problem. The Swiss international should return in late December.
However, it may be tough for Arsenal to prize Carvalho away from his current club. The player has become integral to Real Betis during the last couple of seasons.
He has already featured seven times in La Liga this term and played during the Europa League victory over Celtic.
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Meanwhile, pundit Steve McManaman has urged the Gunners to consider re-signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The Englishman spent six years at Arsenal before joining Liverpool for £35m in 2017. Reports have suggested that he could return to north London after falling down the pecking order at Anfield.
When quizzed on the transfer links, McManaman told football.london: “I think Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is easily worth the money.
“He did have that bad injury for Liverpool a couple of years ago against Roma and he was out for a long time. But sometimes that happens. Since then he’s been fit and well. He came on against Watford and played.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain made 198 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions, scoring 20 goals. He helped the club to win three FA Cups and three Community Shields.
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