With all major domestic European leagues now paused for the March edition of the international break, football fans are again left largely twiddling their thumbs as there more than remains many of us who value club over country and slump into boredom at moments like this, but for Arsenal fans, a boring period may prove to be exactly what we need right now.
After last season’s exploits, we are again enjoying a very good, promising and optimistic 2023/24 Premier League campaign and the top-flight table has proven to be an incredibly tight affair that definitely has the attention of neutrals and as we hit the run in for those who like a small flutter a fold betting strategy on how they now approach the title winner could be an option.
The Gunners are top of the pile right now with 20 wins from 28 games, and we have a far superior goal advantage over Jurgen Klopp’s second-placed Liverpool (joint on 64 points) side and Pep Guardiola’s expensively assembled Manchester City group.
The gap remains a single point, but we have lost one more game than City and won one more game than both of them. Arsenal fans will be happy right now, Liverpool and City fans will be optimistic, and neutrals in the wider world of the game will be gripped.
When the international break ends, our trip to the Etihad Stadium to face City could be massive for our ultimate chances of success this season.
But of course, with the lull in games now, fans can expect a spike in transfer news, and we have begun to get just that. it is now being reported that Reiss Nelson could be a potential departure this summer as manager Mikel Arteta looks to tweak the squad further over the summer months.
With the 24-year-old attacking midfield wide man beginning to slip down the gaffer’s pecking order this season, it is being claimed that Brighton and Hove Albion are beginning to keep a more serious track on him as they look to their own summer dealings. It is being speculated that he could be available for around the £25 million mark.
The 12 capped former England Under 21 international is not totally out of Arteta’s thoughts as he has made 22 appearances so far in the 2023/24 campaign, with his last appearance coming as a late substitute in the 2-1 victory over Brentford this month – but there is no denying that at his age he will be seriously questioning his starting game time, as out of those 22 appearances only four saw him named in the starting line up.
It does feel like this story definitely has legs as we move closer to the end of the campaign, and given Brighton’s own improvements in recent years, and Roberto De Zerbi’s stock rising even higher, Nelson would make a lot of sense when it came to their current style of play and set up.
From our point of view, with no disrespect meant to Nelson as the lad has always clearly had talent, we have better options with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, and put very simply that is only going to change if injuries or suspensions hit.
If a deal could be reached that was in the region of £25 million, maybe rising to the £30 million mark with add-ons, whilst changes are afoot with Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules (Financial Fair Play for everyone other than Manchester City, it continues to seem), his status as a homegrown Academy graduate means his sale is pure profit with no downside.
When you consider our spending in recent years with Arteta determined to make us title challengers again, a sale of £25 to £30 million would make a massive dent in our current three-year calculation.
This could be one story to watch, but it should be noted that he has four years remaining on his contract, having secured a long-term deal in the summer of 2023.
