Arsenal will begin their summer preseason with a friendly in Dublin, Ireland against Spanish side Real Betis on August 5. The Aviva Stadium, on the River Liffey, will be rocking for that one. And as we just learned, earlier today, the Gunners will begin the defense of their Premier League title with a visit from a newly promoted side, Coventry City, on Friday, August 21. Until then, it’s the silly season, so let’s talk about the North Londoners reported interest in Morgan Rogers, Bradley Barcola and Christos Tzolis. After all, Arsenal are reportedly on the hunt for a new left-winger and central midfielder this summer.
Morgan Rogers
Let’s start with the Aston Villa star. According to Sky Sports, there has not been any club to club contact between Villa Park and the Emirates Stadium for Morgan Rogers, but Villa “are still expected to listen to offers around the £80m mark for a player who also has interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.”
So in other words, there will be plenty of competition for the 23-year-old English international winger. This transfer narrative in certainly in early days right now.
Christos Tzolis
The same Sky article also mentions the Gunners’ pursuit of another target on the left wing, totally independent of Rogers, Club Brugge’s Christos Tzolis. In order to get this deal over the line, it could cost in the neighborhood of £34 million, and that would mark a new Belgian Pro League record for transfer fees.
With that in mind, you might get the idea that Brugge do not really want to sell the 24-year-old Greek international, and according to the Sky report, this seems to be the case. So this deal is a long way from being closed to be sure.
Bradley Barcola
Here’s another transfer saga that is surely in very early days. According to The Independent, this is one of those “preparing a bid,” or “getting ready to submit their bid” kind of situations. At least for right now. This might be a classic case of “if you can’t beat ’em, sign ’em” kind of thing, as it was obviously Paris Saint-Germain that bested the Gunners in the UCL Final.
The 23-year-old Frenchman could easily have a larger, more expanded role with Arsenal this season (depending on who comes and goes on the left flank) than he currently does at PSG, so this might actually make a lot of sense for all involved.
We’ll just have to wait and see what happens with the transfer fee valuation.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.