Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Getty Images)
According to Corriere dello Sport (h/t Daily Mail), on-loan Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has informed his parent club Arsenal that he wants to stay in Italy.
The Armenian international had left for the Serie A outfit on loan last summer after falling out of favour with former Gunners boss Unai Emery. However, the attacking midfielder, unlike his time at the Emirates has been an instant hit in Roma, scoring six goals and giving three assists in just 13 league appearances.
Mkhitaryan is his side’s joint second-highest goal scorer in the league alongside veteran full-back Aleksander Kolarov. Despite missing a major share of the season due to various injuries, Mkhitaryan has impressed when fit, prompting Roma chief executive Gianluca Petrachi to consider making his loan move permanent.
Meanwhile, the report also suggests that the 31-year-old Mkhitaryan, who has a contract at Arsenal until the summer of 2021 has even told his agent that he is ready to reduce his wages to stay put in Rome.
Roma, on the other hand, are willing to offer a maximum of £8.5million for the seasoned campaigner, who has featured for top clubs such as Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund in the past.
Despite, scoring six goals and giving seven assists from 39 games for Arsenal last season, the Armenian failed to impress then-boss Emery. The following summer saw Mkhitaryan depart England for the Serie A outfit, where he finally seems to have found form.
During his time at Arsenal, Mkhitaryan was mostly deployed on the right flank, away from his preferred attacking midfield role. In his 59 appearances for the Gunners, the veteran playmaker played only 15 times in his favoured position.
With a massive 441 club appearances to his name, there is no denying that Mkhitaryan is an experienced campaigner. However, he is 31 already and is no more the player he once used to be.
A regular starter for his former sides, Mkhitaryan’s career hit a rough patch when he joined Manchester United in 2016. Since then, the Armenian midfielder’s form took a downward spiral that saw him move to Premier League rivals Arsenal.
However, he failed to live up to the expectations at the Emirates that saw him depart for Italy just after two seasons. Arsenal are currently 9th in the league this season and Arteta needs some young blood in his attack. Veteran playmaker Mesut Ozil has had a horrendous campaign this term.
With Mkhitaryan clearly not interested in returning to England, it would be foolish of Arsenal to hold onto a player who does not want to play for them any longer. Hence, it would be wise of the Gunners to offload him rather than bring him back to the side at the moment.
Mkhitaryan is already past his 30s and Arsenal do not need any more older players, with old-guard Ozil failing to impress this season. The Gunners lack energy and vigour in their attack, and they would be better off with someone younger. So Arsenal should not waste any more time but rather sell Mkhitaryan.
