Arsenal agreed personal terms with a “powerful” player last summer, and while a move ultimately didn’t come to fruition, it could happen this year instead.
Arsenal braced for Champions League semi-final tie against PSG
Mikel Arteta’s side have a golden opportunity to make 2024/2025 their most memorable campaign in decades, despite missing out on this year’s Premier League title to Liverpool by some distance.
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Two season-defining European semi-final legs have the potential to pay dividends for Arteta’s side, with their first Champions League final appearance since 2006 on the line, not to mention the possibility of being crowned winners for the first time in their illustrious history.
Bournemouth (home)
May 3rd
Liverpool (away)
May 11th
Newcastle United (home)
May 18th
Southampton (away)
May 25th
Arsenal face-off against a PSG side who they’ve already beaten once this term, a 2-0 league phase win back in October, with Luis Enrique’s side also tasting defeat in Ligue 1 for the first time this season against Nice last week.
Riding high off their sensational 5-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid in the last round, Arsenal go into the tie carrying plenty of encouragement, with Arteta urging his players to play with bravery.
“You’ve seen it first hand the way we approach the game against Real Madrid, the way we approach the game when we played [PSG] before, the way we approach every week,” said Arteta in his pre-match press conference.
“That’s not going to change, that’s who we are, it’s our biggest strength. The good thing as well about us is that we are able to adapt to very different contexts, and we have shown that again this season. Because sometimes you don’t want to, but the teams are able to take you to a different game, and feeling comfortable playing that game, and overcoming that game with yourself in a position that you play more of the game that you want, is a big strength. I think this season again we have demonstrated that we have the capacity to do that.”
Away from the pitch, sporting director Andrea Berta is preparing for his first summer window at the club. Reports suggest Arsenal want to sign a new second-choice keeper, and links to Espanyol starlet Joan Garcia are re-emerging as a result.
Joan Garcia teases summer transfer after agreeing terms with Arsenal last year
Arsenal are tipped as one of the main contenders to sign Garcia once again this summer, after the 23-year-old agreed terms on a move to the Emirates last year (Fabrizio Romano).
Now, the Spanish shot-stopper has dropped an update on his future, confirming Arsenal’s interest last summer and teasing the possibility of a move away from Espanyol this summer.
“There was a lot of interest last summer, especially from Arsenal, but I stayed here and since then I’ve been 100% focused on this season,” said Garcia to press in Spain.
“We all know the situation, not just mine but the club’s, and anything can happen. But the future will tell, and we’ll worry about it when the time comes.”
Garcia is viewed as one of La Liga’s standout goalkeeping talents after another great season, and he’d undoubtedly be a great back-up to David Raya. The cost of his signature, as things stand, is around £21 million – the current value of his release clause – but this could be seen as a real snip.
“García is such an athletic GK. His legs are so powerful and springy enabling him to generate more power to reach the ball,” said Football Analyst Ben Mattinson.
“Good flexibility, agility and his proactiveness enable him to be an alert shot-stopper in the box and recover to make double saves.”