Arsenal are one of the most attractive football clubs in the world.
The Gunners have always been among the elite, and Arsene Wenger then took them to another level during his 22-year spell at the club.
Mikel Arteta has now turned Arsenal into contenders to win the Premier League and the Champions League, and that has caught people’s eyes.
One player who has been impressed is Bayer Leverkusen’s Malik Tillman.
Imagine you are Andrea Berta. Who is your top target for Arsenal in the summer transfer window?
Malik Tillman admits he would ‘love’ to join Arsenal
Tillman has made a fantastic name for himself in recent years.
The USMNT international joined Bayern Munich’s youth academy back in 2015 and spent eight years there. He didn’t play much for the senior side but was part of the squad that won the Bundesliga and Champions League titles.
Tillman then enjoyed a great spell at PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie before returning to Germany to join Bayer Leverkusen in 2025.
Hailed as ‘fantastic’ and compared to Tottenham’s Xavi Simons by Bundesliga.com, the midfielder is a fine talent, and it won’t surprise us if he moves to a bigger club one day.
His preference is Arsenal.
When asked to name his team in the Premier League, Tillman told B/R Football: “It’s a tough one. I don’t have a favourite team.
“But if there’s one club I would love to play for, it’s Arsenal.”
Explaining his reason, he added: “One thing is the way they play now. I think they have a great coach, they have a great system, and I think I would fit into it.”
Then, when asked about the criticism of Arsenal’s style, Tillman responded: “Obviously, they score a lot of goals from set-pieces, but that’s also a part of the game. If you watch them in the Champions League, it’s a different style of play.
“The Premier League has also changed a little bit in the way teams play against them or play in general. So obviously, they have to adapt. But if you watch the Champions League games, it’s a different Arsenal.”
Malik Tillman to Arsenal – yes or no?
Malik Tillman speaks more sense about Arsenal than most pundits
Arsenal have been tagged as ‘boring’ by several pundits this season, but they don’t know what they are talking about.
Tillman, who is just 23 years old, has just explained the Gunners’ style perfectly.
It’s not Arteta’s fault that teams sit deep in a low block almost every single week and make it difficult for them to penetrate.
Clubs in the Champions League don’t do that; that’s why Arsenal batter teams with exciting football there. They scored 23 goals in eight games and won every single one of them.
The big-name pundits who brand Arsenal as ‘boring’ should stop their lazy analysis and learn a thing or two from Tillman, who seems to understand the game far better.
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