It’s no secret that Arsenal haven’t quite got their wide positions nailed down this season so far, so who could they sign to give the squad a boost?
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is struggling for form and Alex Iwobi is only performing well when he plays on the left. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is filling that left-hand spot but doesn’t seem nearly as effective as in the middle. With Reiss Nelson on loan, Arsenal are lacking options, particularly on the right.
Let’s have a look at the players that the media have already hinted are on Arsenal head of recruitment Sven Mislintat’s shortlist ahead of the January transfer window.
2Ismaila Sarr
- Age: 20
- Position: Left Winger
- Contract until: 2021
- Club: Stade Rennais
- Estimated transfer value: £12.6m
Sarr is listed as a left winger on Transfermarkt, but he’s played all over the front line for Stade Rennais this season. From centre-forward to left-wing, right-wing, left-midfield and right-midfield. He’s scored in each of those positions as well, bar left-midfield, so he’s clearly able to adapt well to what the team needs from him.
Overall, Sarr has five goals and one assist in 16 appearances for a bottom half Ligue 1 side, which is not a bad record at all. No wonder a report from Mirror Football last month suggested Sven Mislintat already has the winger in his sights.
The 20-year-old Senegal star impressed in Russia during the summer’s World Cup and, as a result, has brought the scouts of some of the world’s biggest clubs to his door. In addition to Arsenal, Inter Milan are also said to be interested in the player.
Sarr’s strengths are his dribbling and through balls, and he wins a lot of free-kicks for his side, which is the kind of winger Arsenal could do with. He’s a bit younger and a bit cheaper than some of the alternatives on this list, so he could be a more realistic option this January.
Click ‘Next’ for more Arsenal-linked wingers ahead of the January window