Arsenal news: Mikel Arteta to boost Gunners title charge with new transfer target
As the busy festive period approaches, Arsenal find themselves nine points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Despite bringing in reinforcements over the summer in Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori, Raheem Sterling and Neto, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta could look to the transfer market to try and turn his side's fortunes around.
The North Londoners have been linked with a number of midfield players, most notably Real Madrid and Turkey star Arda Güler, who has struggled for game time at the Bernabeu this season.
Comparisons to Martin Odegaard
Looking back just four years, it is easy to draw comparisons to Arsenal’s current captain Martin Odegaard.
The Norwegian signed for Real Madrid in 2015 as a 16-year-old, making a handful of appearances before embarking on a crusade of loan moves.
Odegaard had spells at Heerenveen, Vitesse and Real Sociedad before making a January loan move to North London in 2021.
The Gunners signed the midfielder on a permanent deal for £35million in the summer of the same year, and the rest is history.
If Güler is to make a switch to the Emirates Stadium, he could take a similar pathway to Odegaard, with Los Blancos more likely open to letting one of their top young talents leave on loan as opposed to permanently.
Making an impact
It is no secret that Güler has been restricted to limited game time in a Real Madrid shirt this season, playing just 382 minutes across all competitions.
However, the Turkish international is continuing to impress when he can, with Carlo Ancelotti handing the 19-year-old just his fourth start of the campaign in a 3-0 La Liga win over Leganes.
Güler played 75 minutes of that match, setting up team-mate Federico Valverde for Madrid’s second goal.
In a post-match press conference, Ancelotti said the teenager “had a complete performance” and was clearly impressed with his contribution.
The Real Madrid boss added: “We can count on these players at the moment because the demands of the games are very high, and we need everyone.”
If Güler continues to perform to a high standard, Real Madrid may become more reluctant to allow the youngster to leave, with Ancelotti seemingly already trying to warn off any interested parties.
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