Arsenal linked with Ivan Perisic
A report by football.london claims that both Arsenal are ‘looking’ at the situation of Ivan Perisic at Inter Milan with regards to a move in the summer transfer window. Gunners’ rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, are another team named in the report. Perisic only moved to his current club last summer from Bayern Munich.
But with just a year left on his contract, the report says that the Serie A side might look to cash in on him this summer. Now 32, he has had an impressive career in Germany as well as Italy.
And with Mikel Arteta looking to strengthen his squad ahead of the new season to reclaim his side’s position in the league’s top 4, we look at why Perisic would be a wise transfer signing for them.
Arsenal could use Ivan Perisic
The Gunners, at least, on paper, have no real senior left-wingers. Yes, there is the versatile teenager, Gabriel Martinelli, but he is in his formative years. On the other hand, they are loaded with options down the right-hand side – Willian, Nicholas Pepe, and Bukayo Saka are all capable of playing there.
But Arsenal have had trouble pinning down who they want down the left-hand side. As visible in the image above, they have had to play a number of combinations on the left flank, even using 2018/19 Premier League Golden Boot winner, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in that position.
Willian has also been used by Arteta down that side. But the Brazilian, according to a report by Sky Sports last month, could be out of the Emirates in the summer. With so much uncertainty down that flank, it is time for the club to finally find a sturdy wide midfielder to take up that spot in Arteta’s 4-2-3-1 formation.
This is where Perisic would be a solid addition. The Croatian wide midfielder has spent the majority of his career playing down that side. Having turned 32 this year, he might not be the youngest player around, but he can give the Gunners a solid couple of seasons before they look for a long-term target.
The versatility will help
Perisic can play on either wing and is two-footed. From cutting in to shoot from the left-hand side to dribbling with the ball along the touchline and crossing it in, having two strong feet helps wingers a lot and can be quite beneficial for the team. This is what his former teammate, Joshua Kimmich, spoke of Perisic just before the Croatian’s Bayern transfer.
“What you know about him is that he’s two-footed. He can play on the left and the right. If he comes, he can make us a bit more flexible.”
Perisic, who has won league titles with the Bavarians, Borussia Dortmund, and most recently, Inter Milan, would surely present himself as a very able player to play regularly down the left flank. It will also give Martinelli the time to develop without having the pressure of playing an ultra-important role in the starting XI.
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And with just a year left on his contract, Arsenal could even manage to get a good deal. That is because he can discuss terms with foreign clubs in January 2022 as a free agent if he doesn’t renew his Inter contract – and no club would want to lose a player in this way.
