Bayern set sights on Arsenal starlet while fellow youngster linked with loan exit

Posted by

Arsenal could reportedly see two top talents move on before the transfer deadline with Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock linked with exits.

The Gunners have a whole host of quality options up front and in midfield, particularly after the arrivals of Nicolas Pepe and Dani Ceballos so far this summer.

SEE MORE: Double swoop: Arsenal still in hunt for £25m-rated top target and one more signing before deadline

That will increase competition for places and perhaps push some of the youngsters further down the pecking order as they continue to battle for playing time under Unai Emery.

With that in mind, Nketiah is reportedly set to for a possible season-long loan deal, as per BBC Sport reporter David Ornstein in his tweet below, with a possible move to the Championship or elsewhere in Europe being touted.

The 20-year-old has impressed at youth level for Arsenal and has flirted with a breakthrough at senior level having made 19 appearances for the Gunners to date.

Nevertheless, in order to perhaps gain valuable playing time at this stage of career to build experience and maturity in his game, it may be the sensible choice to send him out on loan with the right club to help him develop over the next 12 months rather than struggling for minutes in the senior side at the Emirates.

Meanwhile, perhaps more of a concern for Arsenal is that Sky Sports report that Bayern are keen on Willock, and while it isn’t explicitly made clear, the suggestion is that it would be a permanent deal.

However, it’s added in the report that Unai Emery rates the 19-year-old highly and expects him to begin to hold down an important role in his squad moving forward.

As we’ve seen with the likes of Jadon Sancho though, perhaps without assurances over short-term opportunities, a move to the Bundesliga could appeal to gain more playing time and a more prominent role.

Time will tell if Arsenal allow both youngsters to move on, but with squad depth in mind as they prepare to try and compete on multiple fronts again this season, Emery won’t want to lose too much quality behind his first-team stars.

More Stories Eddie Nketiah Joe Willock