Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice played for England in the Euro 2024 final against Spain. However, Spain won the match 2-1, denying them a major international trophy. David Raya was in the Spain team and is now a European champion on the international stage.
Additionally, reports indicate that Riccardo Calafiori is close to completing a transfer to Arsenal. We covered Arsenal’s interest in him in a previous article. Without further ado, let’s dive deeper into these topics.
Arsenal 2024 Summer Part 6: Saka and Rice Took Part in the Euro 2024 Final
England made it to the final of the 2024 European Championship, but lost the final 2-1 to Spain. This is a bitter defeat for Saka and Rice, who both started in the final. The two of them played well for England throughout the tournament despite the unfortunate ending to that tournament for England. Thankfully, both Saka and Rice avoided injury at Euro 2024 and will rejoin the rest of the Arsenal squad soon.
David Raya is now a European champion, despite being Spain’s second-choice keeper at Euro 2024 behind Unai Simon. Raya also avoided picking up an injury at the tournament and will be back with Arsenal soon. Raya, Saka, and Rice might return in time for the start of Arsenal’s preseason games in the United States.
Arsenal Seems Likely to Complete the Calafiori Transfer Soon
Reports indicate that Arsenal is close to completing the signing of Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna. Bologna and Basel FC are negotiating the sell-on clause in Calafiori’s contract at the moment, according to the latest news. Some sources state that Calafiori’s medical with Arsenal has already been scheduled.
In any case, it is good that Arsenal appear likely to complete this signing soon. However, Arteta stated that this transfer window will be a busy one for Arsenal. The Gunners’ next transfer target is already clear.
The Gunners Will Look to Sign Mikel Merino After the Calafiori Transfer is Complete
Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino is Arsenal’s next transfer target and reports indicate that the Gunners will move to sign Merino once the Calafiori transfer is done. Merino is 28 years old and has played for Real Sociedad since 2018. Additionally, Mikel Merino just won the Euros with Spain, playing in the final.
Merino is technically excellent and physical. He won 326 duels for possession in the 2023-24 season, which was the most in Europe’s top leagues that season. Merino has a 55 million pound release clause, but since his contract ends after next season, Arsenal could likely sign him for much less than that. Merino seems like a great fit for Arteta’s style of play.
We will see what happens on that front.
Arsenal 2024 Summer Part 6: The Gunners Are Looking to Sell Nketiah, Nelson, and Smith-Rowe
Arsenal was always likely to sell some players in this summer transfer window. Reportedly, the Gunners are looking to sell Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson, and Emile Smith-Rowe. Marseille is working on signing Nketiah on loan with a 25 million pound obligation to buy. Meanwhile, West Ham United want to sign Nelson and Fulham want to sign Smith-Rowe.
Arsenal could receive about 15 million pounds for Nelson and want to receive between 30-35 million for Smith-Rowe. It is good to see Arsenal work on outgoing transfers, as well. Nketiah is a decent player, but he is not good enough for the Gunners anymore. Nelson is a good squad player, but he is unlikely to feature much next season considering the Gunners’ links to multiple right-wingers to back up Saka.
As for Smith-Rowe, he showed promise a few years ago. However, injuries have slowed down his development. Additionally, Smith-Rowe is unlikely to play that much, considering Arsenal’s other options in midfield and the club’s interest in signing Merino. A move elsewhere makes sense for all three of these players and for Arsenal.
Arsenal Plays Its First Preseason Friendly Tomorrow
The Gunners will play their first preseason friendly match of the summer tomorrow against Bournemouth. This will provide a look at how the team’s preparations for next season are going. Hopefully, Arsenal win and put on a good performance. It will be great to see players like Fabio Vieira and Jurrien Timber, who hardly played for Arsenal last season due to injuries. Additionally, it is likely that the Gunners will complete the signing of Calafiori by this time next week.
Check back next week for more Arsenal content.