Swiss defender Ricardo Rodriguez has admitted that it would be ‘exciting’ to play with Granit Xhaka at Arsenal and if he did move he knows his roommate would be sorted as he looks set to leave Wolfsburg.
The left-back has been linked with Arsenal for a little while now, however no decision is likely to be made in the next few weeks as the player focuses on the Euros.
Speaking to the Swiss site, Tagesanzeiger, Rodriguez said, when asked about playing with Xhaka, “That would be exciting, yes, especially because the room arrangement at Arsenal would be fixed as well.”
He then told Bild, when asked if he was thinking about staying at Wolfsburg or moving on, “I think now only about the Euros. What then will be, will…”
If you think about how you’d feel if an Arsenal player had said either of those things, you probably wouldn’t be feeling too confident that he was going to stay, and a move does seem likely for the 23-year-old.
Factor in that he then, allegedly, said “It’s all open.
“Nor is it impossible to continue to play in Wolfsburg, even if it is currently unrealistic,” and you start to think he’s half out the door already, probably hoping for a great Euros to raise his value (and therefore wages).
Then throw in Klaus Allofs, Wolfsburg’s sporting director, saying “The agreement was indeed made with Ricardo. As we have recently entertained, was clear: His idea is to leave us,” and the picture becomes a lot clearer.
Scoring two and assisting three in 24 Bundesliga appearances last season, if Arsenal are targeting Rodriguez then it must be as a Kieran Gibbs replacement with a view to taking over from Nacho as he ages, maybe even as soon as the 17/18 season.
At around €19m, there’s no way Arsenal would be bringing him to compete with Gibbs on the bench, something would have to give and it looks like it could be the Englishman.
Of course we can’t be sure if Arsenal are actually interested or if this is a player who was simply asking a question that he was answered.
What does seem clear, however, is that Rodriguez will be signing for somebody this summer.
The only question now is who?
Rodriguez is under contract until 2019 having signed a new deal on 8th January, 2015.