According to the Express, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are prepared to fight it out to sign Barcelona’s Brazilian sensation Malcom on loan in January.
The 21-year-old made his move to the La Liga with Barcelona this summer but has failed to impress manager Ernesto Valverde. Malcom has found himself on the sidelines way too often for his liking, having played only 25 minutes in the La Liga so far.
He was one of the stars of Ligue 1 last season where he bagged 12 goals and 7 assists for his club Bordeaux. His consistent top-notch performances did not elude the eye of the elite clubs across Europe and Barcelona eventually signed him for a whopping £45million.
Quite clearly, things haven’t turned out the way that Malcom would have wanted. Barcelona have plenty of top-quality attackers in their ranks and it will be better for the 21-year-old to move out on loan. Still only 21, he is at the developmental stage of his career and he wouldn’t want his growth stalled by constantly sitting on the sidelines.
Arsenal endured a difficult start to the season with losses against Manchester City and Chelsea but turned their fortunes around with six consecutive victories in the Premier League. In fact, the Gunners are within striking distance of challenging for the title.
To be honest, both Arsenal and Spurs have been doing pretty well in the Premier League in recent years but neither of them has adequate depth in their squad to mount a significant challenge for the title.
And it looks like it is going to be the same old story for the north London giants once again this season. Both the teams have made promising starts to the season but lack of depth in the squad can prove to be a major roadblock in the quest for the Premier League title.
That is exactly the reason why the move to sign Malcom on loan holds a lot of importance to the north London giants.
Having spent nothing in the summer, Mauricio Pochettino will be looking to bolster his attacking as well as defensive options when the window reopens in January. Arsenal, on the other hand, need to strengthen their squad to mount an unlikely challenge for the title.
The impending departures of Aaron Ramsey and Danny Welbeck are bound to be a major cause of concern for Unai Emery. While Ramsey has emerged as Arsenal’s new No.10 this season, Welbeck seems to have rediscovered his mojo as a striker under Emery. Both the players will be out of contract next summer and Arsenal face the risk of losing them for nothing.
As things stand, Arsenal might face a shortage of options on the right should Mesut Ozil or Henrikh Mkhitaryan be sidelined due to an injury. And that is exactly where someone like Malcom would fit in.
Just like most of his fellow countrymen, Malcom has a typical South American touch to his style of play. Blessed with a brilliant technique, pace, flair and agility, the 21-year-old has all the attributes to take the Premier League by storm.
While he can use his pace, dribbling skills and instant acceleration to bamboozle the defenders, he is equally adept at holding on to the ball and uses his awareness and vision to good effect from the wide areas. At times, he seems to have a more direct approach to the game and backs himself to take on the defenders with his dribbling skills.
Malcom is not a one-trick pony and has the ability to operate as an inverted winger by cutting inside from the right with his stronger left foot. He also has the ability to test the goalkeeper from long range or from the edge of the box with powerful shots.
The Brazilian has all the attributes to be a perfect fit for both the teams in question but Arsenal should take the initiative to negotiate a deal in January. It might be the deal that makes them significant contenders for the Premier League title.