Alexander Hleb says ‘creative’ £27m whiz Unai Emery wanted to sign ‘suits’ Arsenal now

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Former Arsenal star Alexander Hleb has encouraged Aleksandr Golovin to push for a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Alexander Hleb feels that Aleksandr Golovin would be a good fit at Arsenal. 

Hleb spent three seasons on the books at the north London club, between 2005 and 2008, under the charge of Arsene Wenger. 

The Belarusian winger was a key figure for the Gunners throughout his stint at the club, impressing with his creativity and dazzling dribbling ability. He helped Arsenal to reach the Champions League final in 2006, when they lost out to Barcelona.

In the summer of 2008, Hleb made the move to the La Liga giants himself, and won the top prize in European football in his first season at the Camp Nou, though he did not play in the final.

Hleb certainly played the best football of his career whilst he was at Arsenal, and he now seems keen to help his former club.

The 42-year-old has told £27 million Monaco playmaker Golovin to seek a move to Arsenal.

Should Arsenal revive Aleksandr Golovin interest?

Speaking to Championat, Hleb said, “I know that Aleksandr has become one of the leaders of Monaco and plays good football. I liked him before; fast, creative, sees the field well. Every footballer wants to reach a higher level. I think that Aleksandr himself will decide where to move. If you want to grow, you must move forward.”

“Monaco are a good European team, but they are not at the top. If there are offers from top clubs, then it’s time to move on and set higher goals for yourself. But you need to approach this wisely; go where the system suits your style.”

“We need a team that plays beautiful combination football. And the main thing is that the coach wants to see you on the team and trusts you. We need to weigh up everything. Golovin would fit well into these teams, Barca and Arsenal football suits him.”

Arsenal have shown an interest in signing the 27-year-old Russian before. When Unai Emery was at the helm in north London, the Gunners scouted Golovin, as reported by The Mirror.

Whether Mikel Arteta shares his predecessor’s fondness for the player is unknown, though. However, it is easy to see what Golovin might bring to this Arsenal team. He is extremely technically gifted, boasts an excellent range of passing, and is a set-piece specialist.

That being said, his age profile puts him slightly above the range in which the Gunners tend to invest for big money deals, and Golovin also lacks Premier League experience, and well as the kind of physicality that Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Thomas Partey can all provide in the middle of the park.