Arsenal told to sacrifice two Hale End stars in swap deal for £60m January target

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Former Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs believes that the likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah could be used in swap deals this winter.

Arsenal could be tempted to move on both Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe in this January transfer window.

Crystal Palace have already made an approach for Nketiah. The Gunners knocked back that attempt to prise the striker away from the Emirates Stadium. However, the Eagles may still come back in for the Hale End academy graduate.

Nketiah’s fellow Hale End product Smith Rowe has also previously been linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium.

Neither player is a nailed-on starter, and they may feel that they need more regular football at this stage in their careers. 

Both players are talented and ought to still be able to improve and develop. As such, the Gunners ought to be able to attract decent fees for them, if Mikel Arteta decides that he can cope without them at his disposal. 

Making those sales would bring in some welcome funds, as Arsenal only have a very limited transfer budget at their disposal as things stand, and they certainly need to make some additions to their squad this month if they can.

What business do Arsenal need to do in January?

Arsenal are short on defensive options. Summer signing Jurrien Timber is sidelined with a long-term injury, Takehiro Tomiyasu has also had fitness issues and is due to depart to the Asia Cup with Japan. On top of that, Oleksandr Zinchenko is in poor form and is considered a defensive liability. 

The Gunners are also thought to be on the lookout for a top level new striker, with several targets under consideration.

A new midfielder is also on the shopping list. Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz is a target for Arteta, though Arsenal may have to shell out £60 million to secure the Brazilian’s services. 

Former Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs believes that Luiz ought to be the club’s top target. Speaking on ESPN, he said, “it’s probably the best idea to go and get someone like Douglas Luiz.

“You can swap players, there are deals to be done there for sure.”

“There’s Emile Smith Rowe, there’s Eddie [Nketiah], there’s deals to be done there in this window. If I was to do anything I’d probably shore up the midfield and hope that in the second half of the season [Bukayo] Saka, [Gabriel] Martinelli and [Martin] Odegaard come alive.”

Swap deals are relatively rare, but have been known to happen. Aston Villa have shown an interest in Smith Rowe before, and Unai Emery worked with both players in his time as Arsenal boss, so will know their attributes well. Offering the duo as makeweights in a deal for Luiz could be an interesting potential avenue to explore.