Unai Emery has given the strongest indication that Arsenal are trying to buy players in the January window to help them at centreback and on the wing and one of them could be Denis Suarez.
Arsenal were not expected to do anything during January but a host of defensive injuries, coupled with Danny Welbeck’s ankle break, means they’ve had to reassess the situation.
Denis Suarez seems to be closing in on a move to Arsenal with reports this weekend seeming to confirm the deal. Asked about it in his post-Blackpool press conference, Unai Emery did not dismiss it at all.
“I don’t know [whether Denis Suarez is close to joining Arsenal],” Emery said when asked. “He was playing as a left or right winger for Sevilla when he was with me.
“I think the club is working for the possibility to bring in some players who can help us during this next four months of competition. It’s a different situation. If the transfer market can help us find a centre back, the possibility to bring them in is not easy because we also have Mavropanos coming back from injury.
“If we have the possibility to sign some important players, we can do it. At left or right wing, perhaps one player can help us in this position. We will only sign players who give us quality.”
Suarez seems set to leave Barcelona after struggling for game time and will ‘most likely’ move on in the current window according to Di Marzio. AC Milan and AS Roma have also made inquiries, but Arsenal are now ‘in the lead’ for his signature.
Catalan radio outlet RAC1 claimed on Friday that Suarez was choosing between Arsenal, Chelsea, and staying with Barcelona until the summer. They reported that he’d make a final decision in the next week.
However, it now seems Arsenal are the clear front-runners to complete a deal.
Suarez really hasn’t had much game time this season. By the beginnig of December, he’d only made one start and one substitute appearance in all competitions. Things got a bit better last month, as he scored two goals in a Copa Del Rey start, then made three further substitute appearances in La Liga and the Champions League.
Nonetheless, that still only adds up to 221 minutes of football across the entire campaign. The player responded to exit rumours by telling the Spanish media last month: “I work to play and I’m not having minutes. If I do not play … we’ll see.”
Spanish outlet AS reported in November that Suarez had realised how far he was from the Barcelona first-choice starting eleven, and wanted to secure a move away as a result. AS went on to claim that the Spaniard has made a Premier League move his priority, with Arsenal as a ‘favourite option’.
Suarez reportedly believes Unai Emery’s style of football would suit him perfectly. Emery already knows his strengths and weaknesses very well, having spent a year with the midfielder on loan at Sevilla when he was in charge there.
The pair won the Europa League together, but Suarez ended up completing a transfer to Villarreal at the end of the season.
After a year, Barcelona exercised their buy-back clause, but it’s not exactly clear why because they’ve never given him consistent starts .