Arsenal spent £150million over the summer to bring a fresh wave of talent to the Emirates Stadium, and there is already some early indications that Mikel Arteta is getting set for a busy January transfer window as well
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Arteta gives Arsenal team news before Everton clash
Portuguese midfielder Renato Sanches has given Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta the green light to put an offer on the table for him in the January transfer window.
Sanches was one of the most exciting young talents in world football six years ago, but having burst onto the scene at Benfica, he failed to live up to expectations at Bayern Munich.
Ligue 1 outfit Lille threw him a lifeline in 2019 by signing the playmaker, and having got his career back on track, Sanches is attracting a lot of interest from some of Europe’s top clubs.
And despite being under contract at Lille until 2023, the 24-year-old has sent out a sign that he is ready to listen to offers.
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Speaking to L’Equipe, via Get French Football News, Sanches said: “Milan and Arsenal are maybe interested, I spoke with my agent about it but I can’t say any more. I just know I’m ready. If the offer arrives I’ll evaluate it.
“Milan are a great club – historic, classy. I really like them.”
The Gunners have turned their season around thanks to their new signings.
They couldn’t have started the campaign any worse having suffered defeats in all three of their opening games which left them bottom of the table.
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But as the injury list shortened and players began to gel, Arteta has managed to lead his side to seventh place, four points out of the Champions League placings but with a game in hand.
The arrivals of Aaron Ramsdale, Benjamin White and Takehiro Tomiyasu have all played key roles since arriving at the Emirates Stadium, with Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Martin Odegaard all featuring as well.
And if Sanches were to return to the Premier League, having had an unsuccessful loan spell at Swansea City in 2017, then the EURO 2016 winner will be hoping that he can make a solid impact on the team.
One of the 2016 Golden Boy’s key tasks will be getting the very best out of midfielder Thomas Partey, who has struggled with injuries since joining the Gunners from Atletico Madrid in 2020 for £45m.
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Arteta has demanded more from the Ghanian midfielder ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Everton on Monday night.
He said: “Thomas is a really important player in the team and obviously we’ve missed him for long periods since he joined and that is not ideal but our energy is just to get the best out of him and how we will do that.
“The fact he had so many injuries has not been really helpful for him because he hasn’t found the platform first of all physically to be at his best and then he has had games where he has been more consistent than in others. We need him at his best and he can produce more. He knows we have to demand more.”
It remains to be seen whether Arteta does bid for Sanches, and if so, whether the Portugal international is keen to right the wrongs of his previous spell in England and prove that he is still a prospect to be excited about.
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