Arsenal’s Andrea Berta eyes next transfer after Saka switches role | Football | Sport
Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium clash with West Ham on Saturday afternoon marked Mikel Arteta‘s 300th game in charge of the Gunners. The Spanish tactician has transformed a club that was very much on the decline when he took the reins in late 2019, drastically improving performances, mentality, results and fan sentiment.
Arteta boasts the highest win percentage of any Arsenal manager (59%), but what separates him from predecessors like Arsene Wenger is his lack of major trophies – something he hopes to rectify this season. Despite not playing at their best yet due to injury setbacks and the challenge of integrating a number of summer signings, Arsenal are viewed as serious contenders for both the Premier League and Champions League at this early stage of the season. This hasn’t deterred the club from planning for the January transfer window, with rumours suggesting they could target a young star from Real Madrid. Additionally, Arteta may be preparing another tactical shift to bolster their Premier League title bid. Now, we will delve into two major headlines surrounding the Gunners this week.
Andrea Berta eyes Real Madrid talent
Arsenal have reportedly set their sights on Real Madrid’s 18-year-old defender Victor Valdepenas. Despite already adding Piero Hincapie to their impressive options on the left side of the defence, Andrea Berta is said to be a fan of the 6ft2in left-footed Valdepenas.
The Spaniard currently plays for Real Madrid’s second team, which looks to prepare their youngsters for the first team. And transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says the Gunners are hoping he can be another Cristhian Mosquera, who they believe they “won the jackpot” with by signing for a mere £13m.
Speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, Romano revealed: “I have one name, he’s a talent that Arsenal have been monitoring for a few months now, and he’s a player they keep observing. It’s not going to be easy at all because he’s a Real Madrid player, but his name is Victor Valdepenas.
“He’s considered an important talent, a very young player from the Real Madrid youth sector. Centre-back, Spanish and talented, Arsenal have been monitoring him for some time, so he’s one of the players on the radar at Arsenal.
“We know very well how difficult it is to sign players from Real Madrid because all the players want to stay at Real Madrid and consider that as the best project possible, but for sure, Arsenal have been tracking and monitoring this boy.”
Romano went on to add: “Arsenal really believe they won the jackpot by signing Cristhian Mosquera, because signing a player like Mosquera for £13m it’s a really fantastic opportunity they got on the market, to get a top centre-back, very fast, physical with big potential, super young.”
Saka and Eze position swap theory
A lot has been said externally about how to maximise the potential of exciting summer arrival Eberechi Eze. The former Crystal Palace playmaker started his first few Arsenal games on the left wing, where he was unable to influence the game as much as he would have liked, before being brought into his favoured No.10 role against Port Vale and Newcastle, where he excelled.
Both he and Bukayo Saka came on as substitutes during the midweek Champions League clash with Olympiacos, with Eze operating on the right due to Martin Odegaard’s involvement, and Saka scoring his goal from the left to seal a 2-0 victory.
This has led a section of Arsenal supporters to advocate for Saka to be utilised more frequently on the left wing, which would enable Eze to play in midfield and provide Noni Madueke, who was impressive prior to his injury, with a starting spot on the right wing.
Saka, 24, has evolved into one of the finest right wingers in world football over the past four years but can prove equally effective on the opposite wing, with sharp-eyed fans noticing both he and Eze interchanging positions in footage of their training session this week.
When asked about Saka ahead of his 200th Premier League appearance against West Ham, Arteta highlighted the player’s incredible growth. He said: “When you were asking your question I visualised Bukayo playing as a left-back in my first game against Bournemouth. That’s the first thing that came into my mind.
“He’s come very far on the pitch and very far in his journey! The person he’s become and his role in the team now. It’s been a joy to see that every single day.”
