Arsenal Transfer News: Latest on Nacho Monreal, Breel Embolo Rumours

 

Arsenal reportedly blocked Nacho Monreal's move to Athletic Bilbao, with the full-back even agreeing to a deal with the Basque outfit during the summer transfer window.

Bilbao will keep an eye on the situation and return in January, should the Gunners sign another left-back.

That's according to Spanish newspaper AS (h/t Daily Express' James Cambridge), which went on to add that manager Arsene Wenger demanded more than £10 million for the Spaniard, which contributed to the move's failure to go through.

The 29-year-old has started the season in tremendous form, starting all four of Arsenal's Premier League matches on the left wing, and when rumours of a potential transfer move started to surface toward the end of the summer window, fans had difficulty understanding why.

FunnyGooner thought Monreal was more deserving of a raise, not a move:

Monreal arrived at the club in 2013 and quickly endeared himself to the fans with his high work rate and willingness to do whatever it takes to win. While he's not the most refined full-back and hardly ever dazzles, he gets the job done consistently, which is exactly what the back line needs.

Kieran Gibbs is Monreal's biggest competitor for the starting position on the left wing, and while the 25-year-old England international is a superior athlete who looks like a star full-back is supposed to look, his struggles with consistency don't sit well with the fans.

Arsenal blogger Le Grove thinks it's a strong reason why Monreal won't move:

Gibbs certainly presents as the player with the higher ceiling, but Monreal is a proven Premier League contributor who can always be counted on. He's also learned a lot since moving to the Premier League, as he told Rob Kelly of the club's official website (h/t Daily Mirror's Daniel Sandford):

I've always said that it's a different type of football here. In Spain there is more of a focus on tactics, technique and positioning, whereas in England it is more physical.

The fans like seeing box­-to­-box play and lots of direct runs, so I think on a physical level I've improved because you have to get used to English football. I've certainly got better in that regard.

Judging by those comments, Monreal has no intention of leaving Arsenal, and as he's currently the unquestioned starter, it's hard to see why he would want to part from the Emirates for a move to Athletic, a club with limited title aspirations in La Liga.

Athletic may well be interested in Monreal, as due to their philosophy of only employing players with Basque heritage, options on the transfer market are limited, as noted by ITV. But there's no way Wenger is going to sell one of his starters unless Atheltic are willing to pay well over his value.

Unless Gibbs can push Monreal out of the starting XI, don't expect him to leave the Emirates anytime soon.

Gunners and Spurs to Battle for Breel Embolo?

According to talkSPORT, both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are looking at teenage phenom Breel Embolo, who is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about prospects seemingly available on the transfer market.

The FC Basel forward is just 18 years old but already a regular starter for his club, and he recently made a brief cameo for the Swiss national team against England.

Bleacher Report's James McNicholas is a fan:

Quick, powerful and cool as ice in front of goal, Embolo has the look of a future star who has the versatility to play both as a lone striker or as a winger, thanks to his superb athleticism. Like so many prospects his age, he's still a bit raw and inconsistent, but you don't become a regular starter for a club like Basel, who seem to do well on the European stage every season, for no reason.

Fans shouldn't get too carried away with all the speculation, however. There's no indication whatsoever that Embolo has any interest in leaving Basel, and the Swiss side have done nothing to suggest they're open to a sale.

The youngster is in a perfect situation at the St. Jakob-Park, where he gets to develop at his own pace while playing meaningful minutes for the perennial favourites in the Swiss league and a solid European squad. Leaving that situation right now makes no sense for Embolo―and even less for Basel, who know they have a budding star on their hands.

In the report, talkSPORT claimed that Basel value him around £10 million right now. If he continues his development, he could be worth three times that amount in two or three years. Why sell him now?

He's cup-tied to Basel, too raw to make an immediate impact in the Premier League and displace Olivier Giroud as the Gunners' automatic starter up front and worth a lot more than £10 million already in today's market.

Nothing's impossible, but Embolo's leaving Basel in January is highly unlikely.