A round-up of the latest Arsenal news as Emmanuel Petit admits he ‘didn’t recognise’ one Gunners player at Euro 2024 and Xavi Simons opens up on his potential transfer.
Arsenal can sign Everton midfielder Amadou Onana in a £30m transfer
Everton have slashed their asking price for Amadou Onana as Arsenal prepare to target the midfielder’s transfer. That is according to The Sun, which reports that the Toffees could sell the 22-year-old for £30m in a bid to avoid breaching profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
Dan Friedkin, the owner of AS Roma, has entered into a period of exclusivity to buy Everton from Farhad Moshiri. But his takeover will take weeks to complete and the Blues must raise funds before June 30. The Goodison Park club already breached PSR for the past two terms.
Arsenal are primed to make Everton an offer for Onana with Mikel Arteta eager to improve his midfield. Yet Euro 2024 could cause issues with the midfielder currently in Germany for Belgium. Onana received his call-up after scoring two goals over 30 Premier League games.
Read more about Arsenal’s interest in Onana’s transfer from Everton, here.
Arsenal target Xavi Simons will decide his future after Euro 2024
Xavi Simons has stated that the Netherlands star will decide his future after Euro 2024 amid Arsenal targeting a transfer. Reports by Sport this May noted that the Gunners are very keen on the Paris Saint-Germain player, who thrived on loan for RB Leipzig in the 2023/24 season.
The Dutchman offered Die Roten Bullen eight goals and 13 assists in 32 Bundesliga games. Now, FC Barcelona are mulling a deal to take Simons back to Camp Nou having developed in La Masia. But Arsenal and Bayern Munich are very interested in Simons’ transfer from PSG.
Paris Saint-Germain are open to selling Simons if bids exceed €60m (£51m). But Simons has now stated via quotes by Fabrizio Romano that, “I will decide my future after the Euros”. He is a key part of Ronald Koeman’s side and started the Netherlands’ first two ties in Germany.
Read more about Arsenal’s interest in Simons’ transfer from PSG, here.
Emmanuel Petit ‘didn’t recognise’ Arsenal star Declan Rice in England vs Denmark
Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit ‘did not recognise’ Declan Rice as England laboured to a 1-1 draw against Denmark at Euro 2024. The French hero felt the 25-year-old’s performance for the Three Lions was a distant comparison to what Rice often produced at Emirates Stadium.
Rice delivered a brilliant debut season in north London to finish second in Arsenal’s Player of the Year award voting. The midfielder set new personal bests for goals (7) and assists (9) in a Premier League term in N5. He never offered more than four of either for West Ham United.
But seeing Rice anchor England’s midfield against Denmark as Gareth Southgate persisted with his experiment with Trent Alexander-Arnold left Petit at a loss. The ex-Arsenal defensive midfielder did not feel he was watching the same player as Rice struggled in various aspects.
Petit told talkSPORT (21/6, 11:59): “When I look at what he was doing with Arsenal, it’s a bunch of teammates. You know, friends, and they are all playing with closed eyes all the time because they have trust and confidence in each other.
“I don’t think this is the case [with England] because the balance of the team is not right. When you play in midfield, you can be everywhere but nowhere in the meantime, and this is exactly what’s going on with Declan Rice.
“Sometimes when I look at him, especially yesterday when I looked at the game, I am thinking he should be deeper, he should be higher, he should be pressing [and] he should be more present in the midfield.
“Even with the ball, sometimes he lost some easy balls. I didn’t recognise it. I think the confidence is not right, and I think the balance of the team doesn’t help him.”
Read more about what Petit has said about Rice’s display for England vs Denmark, here.