The idea of Manchester United star Marcus Rashford making a shock move to Arsenal is now not as far-fetched as it was a year ago.
Rashford is a boyhood Man United fan who has spent his entire career at Old Trafford, and is one of their key players both on and off the pitch.
However, he endured a nightmare campaign as United finished in eighth place, struggling for form under Erik ten Hag, and attracting criticism as he was spotted partying whilst his team were suffering from brutal defeats.
Recent rumours have hinted that if Rashford was keen on a change of scenery to kick-start his career, and that Arsenal and Mikel Arteta could be the best destination for him.
Given Arsenal’s need for a speedy winger with goal threat, Rashford is of the profile of player Arteta would be keen on, but there are far too many risks and red flags over any move for the 26-year-old.
Arteta told of financial risks of bringing Marcus Rashford to Arsenal
Speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Charles Watts claimed that there are too many associated risks with signing Rashford that in the event he does become available, Arsenal may choose not to sign him because of the finances involved.
“Here’s my issue with Marcus Rashford. I think Marcus Rashford is a really, really good footballer and about year and a half ago, before he signed his new contract at Manchester United, I would have been very, very much up for Arsenal signing a player who was playing superbly well, scoring goals performing for England, performing for Manchester United at the highest of levels, but he’s had a big, big dip since then and he signed a huge new contract as well,” he stated.
“My big worry would be his wages because of that massive contract he signed. I don’t know how Arsenal would be able to go near that really.
“I think it would take not just a huge financial outlay for the wages, but also a potentially massive transfer fee as well for Manchester United to sell to a rival, so financially I don’t really see how this works.”
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Even beyond the finances, Rashford is 26 and should be thriving as he enters his prime years. Instead he looks a shadow of himself, and at times he has been a liability with his refusal to track back and help his teammates.
Watts has also pointed out that taking Rashford out of his comfort zone at United could be more of a negative than a positive.
“I’m also concerned about Rashford’s form,” he added.
“Rashford is a one-club man, he’s a Manchester man, born and bred, Stretford End, Manchester United
“I think there’s a big difference from signing a player like Kai Havertz, than there would be from signing a player like Marcus Rashford, especially with the emotional ties of it or the baggage that he brings with him.”
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Some Arsenal fans seem to believe that Rashford can revitalise himself under Arteta, but they do not need to look too far back to see what happened to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Aubameyang was an attacker in the similar mould of Rashford, as a speedy outlet off the left who could run in behind.
However, he did not fit Arteta stylistically as a striker, and attitude problems meant he was stripped of the captaincy, which provided a massive distraction for the rest of the team.
Rashford’s attitude has held his progress back, and Arteta may not be so keen on having another big ego after Aubameyang’s exit.
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“This season, I look at how he’s been playing, and maybe it’s because he’s not been motivated, maybe it’s because he doesn’t like the manager, I don’t know.
“But you look at what he does and his work rate off the ball at times, and the way he just has been jogging back when playing. He let players run past him – you do that for two games under Mikel Arteta and you are bang out of the picture,” Watts added.
“You wouldn’t be able to do that. I don’t know if he’s got the ability to play the way Mikel Arteta would want him to play, and the hunger to play like Mikel Arteta would demand that he plays, so that’s a big concern.”
“Off the pitch there’s been issues with Marcus Rashford as well. Again a massive red flag but when it comes to playing under Mikel Arteta, you do something like Rashford did when he went off to that stag do and called in sick the next day, and then there were videos of him lashed up in a club stumbling down some stairs and all that sort of stuff came out, do that again with Mikel Arteta and you are in deep trouble.”
It is clear that the troubles Rashford could bring to the dressing room and the team’s off-ball structure are simply not worth the effort of convincing United to sell at what would be a heavily inflated fee, and Arsenal should simply focus their transfer efforts into players who are not badly out of form.