Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia is believed to have an agreement to join Premier League giants Arsenal, with the club’s manager stating he is powerless to stop the Spaniard from exiting the La Liga club.
The Gunners are searching for reinforcements this summer after narrowly missing out on the title to Manchester City last campaign. Mikel Arteta’s hunt in the transfer market has also seen familiar faces such as Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith-Rowe head out the door at the Emirates, bringing in much needed transfer funds to spend.
However, the club have found themselves persistently linked with the Spanish goalkeeper, and the window has shown that sometimes persistent links do see the player join, as Arsenal just showed in the transfer saga of Mikel Merino.
Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale dilemma.
One scenario consistently mentioned at the Emirates was the lack of playing time for English goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. After arriving from Bournemouth for a fee of £24 million, the 26-year-old established himself as a regular in the team until the arrival of David Raya from Brentford, who dethroned the Englishman from his starting spot, which looks to be firmly in his hands after winning the Golden Glove last season.
Reports have revealed that Southampton have moved to sign Ramsdale, with the two clubs agreeing on a price; it only seems to be a matter of time before he is a Saints player. That exit would leave Arteta’s side lacking in the goalkeeping department and would free them up to move for Garcia, who reportedly already has agreed personal terms with the side. However, the Gunners still have to negotiate with the Spanish outfit. However, it also leaves a twist for a potential transfer saga for League One side Wigan Athletic.
What does this mean for Arsenal’s League One target?
Yesterday, reports emerged that the Premier League giants were linked with Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Sam Tickle. While many suggested it could be a cheaper alternative to Mikel Arteta’s backup goalkeeper problem, that may not be the case, and the Latics could still lose their man before the deadline.
Arsenal have a modest squad size compared to the rest of their competitors in the top six and have areas they need to cover. The losses of Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith-Rowe also saw two homegrown players depart, and a homegrown goalkeeper for their third choice is a target this summer, according to reports, despite the arrival of 18-year-old Tommy Setford from Ajax, meaning he would not count towards homegrown rules.
If Tickle were to join the Gunners, playing time would certainly be limited and in the case of both potential incoming goalkeepers, David Raya’s spot as number one would remain safe due to that limited game time, with the Wigan man most likely to see action in the cup competitions.