Arsenal are reportedly interested in Barcelona starlet Ansu Fati, as Mikel Arteta and Edu venture in the market to introduce additional reinforcements this summer.
The duo have already spent over £200m on talent to strengthen the side, however the spending isn’t showing signs of slowing, with the pending arrival of Brentford goalkeeper David Raya set to be announced as part of a £30m deal.
News in Spain has suggested that the Gunners are now chasing the Barcelona star, who has already been linked to the Premier League this window.
Could Arsenal sign Ansu Fati?
As reported by Sport, the Catalan giants have received significant interest from Arsenal for Ansu Fati.
The report claims that the Gunners have been ‘seriously interested’ in the 20-year-old, who was mentioned in relation to a move to Wolves earlier in the summer as part of a rumoured deal for Ruben Neves, that came to no avail.
Sport added that the Londoners have made a ‘very tempting offer’ for the £199k-per-week forward, which is said to have been rejected by both parties involved with the sole intention to keep him at the club.
There is however a glimmer of hope for the Premier League side, with Barcelona boss Xavi unable to conclude the Spaniard’s future due to Financial Fair Play (FFP), as relayed by Fabrizio Romano, who branded the players movements as “one to watch”.
How good is Ansu Fati?
While the speculation leads to a firm wall in terms of Arsenal’s reported pursuit of the versatile attacker so far, there’s little to deny the impact he could have within Arteta’s budding young set-up at the Emirates.
Once lauded as “special” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the 20-year-old had everything set up to become Barcelona’s eventual heir to Lionel Messi, even handing the starlet the number 10 shirt.
A product of the infamous La Masia set-up, the youngster has the skill and quality to excel on the biggest stages of football, however so far his development has been hindered by injury.
From falling down the pecking order after such struggles, the Spaniard has picked himself back up under Xavi, making 36 appearances in La Liga last term as part of Barcelona’s league-winning campaign.
In that time, the winger scored seven goals and recorded three assists from only 12 starts, averaging only 39 minutes per game which despite his clear value in the side, has sparked debate over his future.
For Arsenal, this could be a good thing, with the club chasing one of the most promising talents in Europe in a signing that could encapsulate an aura of forwards before him in north London.
In 2009, the Gunners captured the talents of dynamic winger Andrey Arshavin, who made an instant impact after arriving in January.
After just 12 appearances in his debut campaign in the top-flight, the Russian netted six goals and registered eight assists to quickly become a favourite at the Emirates.
105 appearances later, the forward departed the club with 23 goals and 27 assists to his name in the Premier League, via Transfermarkt, seeing him described in the past as having an “amazing football brain” by agent Jon Smith.
A similar aura surrounds reported target Ansu Fati, who showcases his innate footballing IQ from the wide areas to penetrate an attacking sequence in the final third.
As per WhoScored, the Russian’s approach to play can be traced in the Spaniard’s style, where he averaged 1.9 shots and one dribbles per game for Arsenal in the 2010/11 Premier League season, similar to the youngster's 1.7 shots and 0.6 dribbles per game for Barcelona last term.
The Gunners have seen a host of talent take to the left wing over the years, with not many having an impact as immediately explosive as Arshavin, who could be delicately replicated by the club’s chase for Fati.