Arsenal are reportedly interested FC Basel striker Arthur Cabral as technical director Edu aims to copy the ‘Gabriel Martinelli model’.
That’s according to Football.London, who note that Cabral is Brazilian and has ‘bags of potential’. Ipso facto, he’s the new Martinelli…
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Mikel Arteta could soon be very short of strikers.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s future is in massive doubt and he could be off as early as January, while Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah’s contracts expire at the end of the season.
Cabral has enjoyed a brilliant season in Switzerland this term, scoring 14 goals in 17 league games, as well as five in six Europa Conference League games.
The report claims the 23-year-old, who’s valued at £13million by Transfermarkt, would likely be seen as more of a backup option as Arteta and Edu also look set to target a first-choice option to lead the Arsenal line.
Newcastle and Liverpool are also rumoured to have shown an interest in Cabral, who has 65 goals in total for Basel, from just 105 appearances.
Meanwhile, Arsenal legend Keown hopes there is a path back into the team for Aubameyang, who has been banished from the first-team by Arteta.
Keown said: “We don’t know if the player himself isn’t ready or if it’s COVID-related but I think that’s disappointing.
“I understand why the captaincy was taken away from him but I feel a bridge should be built between the club, the manager and the player to get him back onto the pitch.
“The team did exceptionally well on Tuesday night, they’ve moved into the top four, but they’ve got Leeds away with lots of games over Christmas to come so you want him back in the fold as quickly as possible.
“I think back to the William Gallas situation when he was stripped of the captaincy. They gave him a pathway for him to come back into the team so I can’t see why that can’t happen here.
“I sincerely hope it’s not the club blocking Aubameyang coming back in. There’s got to be a path for the player to come back at some point.”
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