Arsenal hold transfer talks over £58m wonderkid as Arteta signing ‘dreams of moving on’

The second international break is upon us and Arsenal go into the two-week hiatus having picked up four wins from their last four games in all competitions.

Some of those results didn’t come without scares. Mikel Arteta’s side needed two late goals to win against Leicester City after the Foxes came back from 2-0 down, while Southampton led at the Emirates Stadium before the Gunners quickly turned the game around to come out as 3-1 winners.

The results leave Arsenal in third place in the Premier League table, but level on points with reigning Champions Manchester City and just one point behind leaders Liverpool. They return to action on Saturday 19 October when they take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

The international break will give Arteta the chance to reflect on the season so far and work with a small number of players not on international duty. However, the majority of the squad will be off to represent their nations before preparations for the return of domestic football start.

Wonderkid ‘talks held’

Arsenal are one of the clubs to have held talks over a possible move for Santos’ highly-rated teenager Joao Pedro Chermont, according to CaughtOffside . Chermont is said to have a £58 million release clause in his contract, but the Brazilian side are reported to be open to offers below that figure after their relegation from the top division of Brazilian football.

The report adds that both Arsenal and Chelsea have held talks with the 18-year-old’s representatives and are now preparing to make an opening bid ahead of the January transfer window. Real Madrid and Barcelona are also said to be keeping a ‘close eye’ on the full-back.

FL says : Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of talent to be found in the Brazilian league, Arsenal’s capture of Gabriel Martinelli in 2019 shows that. If the Gunners do make their move for Chermont, they will be hoping that he is as successful as Martinelli.

The teenager was a regular for Santos last season, and their relegation from Serie A means that he could be available at a bargain price. Arsenal will just hope that they can beat off competition for the Brazil U20 international.

Leandro Trossard exit claim

Former Belgium international Thomas Chatelle believes that Leandro Trossard could look to move on from Arsenal soon with the player at a ‘crossroads’ in his career. After scoring and assisting in his last two starts against Leicester and PSG, Trossard was named on the bench for Saturday’s 3-1 win over Southampton.

He came onto the pitch for the final 30 minutes as the Gunners came from one goal down to take a crucial three points against the newly-promoted side. Trossard has been in and out of the starting lineup since his move from Brighton in January 2023.

It’s for that reason why Chatelle believes that he has a decision to make over his future. “Despite his many decisive actions and his flashes of brilliance, still has not managed to establish himself definitively as a starter for these Gunners,” he told Belgian outlet DH net.

“A luxury joker for the convinced, a stopgap for the moderate and even a stopgap for his detractors, Trossard is at a crossroads in his magnificent career. At 29, he can still dream of moving on…”

FL says : Trossard has no doubt been an important player for Mikel Arteta since moving to the Emirates Stadium, and he probably deserves more starts than he has got, but such is the talent within the Arsenal squad, the same could be said for others. For the third game in a week, it’s understandable why he was named on the bench against Southampton.

But his introduction, along with that of Gabriel Martinelli just after Arsenal’s equaliser did help them to take the game away from Southampton.