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Arsenal are preparing for their upcoming Premier League game against Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday (February 24). Mikel Arteta’s will head into the fixture on the back of a defeat against Porto in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg in midweek.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are interested in Adrien Rabiot. Elsewhere, a former player has urged the club to sign Ivan Toney.
On that note, let’s take a look at the major Arsenal transfer news from February 23, 2024.
Arsenal eyeing Adrien Rabiot
Arsenal have been in touch with Adrien Rabiot’s camp regarding a move this summer, according to HITC.
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The French midfielder is in the final six months of his contract with Juventus and is expected to become a free agent at the end of this season. The 28-year-old has been in fine form this season, registering four goals and three assists from 22 games across competitions.
Rabiot could be an upgrade on Thomas Partey in the middle of the park, with the Ghanaian midfielder expected to be on his way out this year. The Gunners have had their eyes on Rabiot for a while and have already set plans in motion to bring him to Emirates in the summer.
Arsenal are looking for the ideal partner for Declan Rice in the middle of the park and Rabiot could certainly do the job.
Gunners urged to sign Ivan Toney, says Theo Walcott
Former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott believes Arsenal should move for Ivan Toney this summer.
The Brentford striker is expected to leave the Gtech Community Stadium at the end of this season and is wanted at the Emirates. The north London side remain eager to add a proven No. 9 to their ranks and have been hot on the heels of the 27-year-old for a while.
Speaking on BBC 5 Live, Walcott stated that Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli would greatly benefit from Toney’s arrival.
“I am a big fan of a certain Brentford striker who I won’t name. Missing Jesus tonight as well who is a different sort of No.9, again, there’s no one else to call upon. Kai Havertz is not a striker, I think he’s done really well but I don’t think he’s a standard No.9. That is something I feel that Edu and Mikel will be discussing in the summer, I’m pretty sure about that,” said Walcott.
“I know we’re talking about someone who is not at the club but you play different with certain players up front, I remember playing with Giroud up front I played differently. Having a big man up front, the wingers would bounce it off him, Saka and Martinelli would have an absolute field day,” he added.
Toney’s contract with the Bees expires in 2025 and he is also being eyed by Chelsea.
Granit Xhaka opens up on his departure from the Emirates
Granit Xhaka insists that he never looked at his move to Bayer Leverkusen as a backward step in his career.
The Swiss midfielder left Arsenal last summer to move to the BayArena and has been outstanding for Xabi Alonso’s side so far. Xhaka has appeared 30 times across competitions for the current Bundesliga leaders, with 29 of those being starts.
Speaking to Blick, the 31-year-old insisted that he joined Leverkusen to seek a new challenge.
“Many accused me of taking a step backwards. But I never saw it that way. I had seven wonderful years in London, but I felt like I needed a new challenge, even though I still had a contract. There were people who were against it, but it was clear to me that I would do it," Xhaka said.
“My wife was initially against it. It was written that she was the reason why I wanted to come back to Germany, but that wasn’t the case. The football there was world class, the people were great, the city was very beautiful, but as a person and as a player I wanted a new challenge. And I can’t help it if Leverkusen is close to my wife’s hometown,” he added.
Arsenal brought in Declan Rice to strengthen the midfield last summer and the Englishman has been impressive so far as well.
