Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho was believed to have been a major target for Arsenal during the summer transfer window, but nothing ever came of it. More than a month later, the midfield ace appears to be making his transfer preference known.
According to the Metro, Carvalho said he has “always empathised” with Arsenal and is very fond of Gunners legend Thierry Henry, and even wears the No. 14 jersey in tribute to the four-time Golden Boot winner.
“I prefer not to say (which club interests me most), but there is a club with which I’ve always empathised – Arsenal,” Carvalho said.
“Because of a player who was I very fond of, in this case I wear the number of him: Thierry Henry, a player with whom I always empathised too.
“Maybe this is why I look with more attention to the Premier League.”
The 2013-14 Primeira Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year, Carvalho has made 30 appearances for Sporting Lisbon and scored 5 goals.
William Carvalho was also a member of Portugal’s Under-21 European Championship run, but missed on a critical sudden-death penalty kick that gave the victory to Sweden. He was named the Player of the Tournament for his efforts.
The Metro reported that Carvalho’s release clause from the Portuguese outfit is £33.3 million, which would be approximately three times more than Arsenal spent on any single player this past summer.
The price tag combined with a leg injury he suffered during the summer may have been why Wenger refrained from pulling the trigger on a transfer this past summer despite lingering injuries to his midfield.