Mikel Arteta's ideal £35m signing may persuade Edu to reverse Arsenal's stern transfer stance

 Arsenal were unable to sign a winger in the summer transfer window, despite the clear need to strengthen in the wide areas. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have a lot of pressure to perform until the next opportunity to address this area of the pitch opens.

One player who the club were reportedly looking to sign in the summer transfer window was Cody Gakpo. But, a deal never managed to materialise, meaning the winger stayed in Eindhoven following the closing of the market.

However, the Dutch winger has been performing excellently since the closure of the summer transfer window. It signals that Gakpo is sending a reminder to Edu that he should be considered for a transfer in January.

The youngster has had an exceptional start to the Eredivisie season. He has scored eight goals and provided six assists so far in the league. This has led to him topping the goal involvement chart compared with any other player in Holland’s first division.

Mikel Arteta hugely admires Gakpo following a stellar 2021/22 campaign that saw the Dutch international net 21 goals and provide a further 15 assists in 47 outings and he is one name on the north London club's list of potential alternatives to Barcelona wideman Raphinha, who they missed out on in the summer window.

Gakpo played 42 games on the left-hand side for PSV last season, and played another three games as a centre-forward. However, he has shown a clinical nature from whatever position he is playing in, as he scored 19 goals from the left wing and two goals in three games as a striker.

This is similar to Gabriel Martinelli, meaning if the Dutch forward joined the club, there could be a lot of interchanging between the new signing and the Brazilian. Gakpo could initially struggle to play as a striker in the Premier League due to the increased competitiveness of the league compared to the Eredivisie. It would be wise for him to feature on the wings before eventually transitioning into the striker position.

Despite the doubts concerning the winger’s ability to adapt to the Premier League due to the physicality, the Dutchman has already ticked some of Arteta’s boxes when it comes to being important in the dressing room, which has been proven by the fact that Gakpo is vice-captain at PSV. It highlights that he would certainly adapt to the culture at Arsenal

If Arsenal want to sign their long-term target in Gakpo then Edu must be proactive in completing this deal. With other Premier League clubs still on the hunt for the winger, the Gunners will have to place themselves in the best negotiation place, and they can do that by exploring a deal before the window r

eopens.