Manchester City and Arsenal could be locked into a rivalry on and off the pitch for years to come it seems.
The Gunners came out on top this year over City and with Pep Guardiola leaving The Etihad, some Arsenal fans will feel it’s a chance now for the club to really dominate.
However, we all know City will come again under Enzo Maresca. Indeed, with the club overhauling the squad this summer, we can expect the Manchester club to splash the cash.
But while that is something we’re used to seeing, this time around it could have repercussions for Arsenal.
Arsenal fans….you can sign Elliott Anderson but it will cost £140m, are YOU doing it or not?
Man City’s Elliott Anderson bid could force Arsenal to spend more
It might seem odd to think about how a move for Elliott Anderson to Man City could affect Arsenal but there’s a feeling it will.
Reports are suggesting that Nottingham Forest’s stance that they will not sell Anderson – they rejected a proposal from City worth £120m already – means that the rest of the market could end up skewed.
City are expected to come back in for the England midfielder and that means we’ll be looking at a record fee for an English player at over that £120m mark.
That means that other clubs in the Premier League and beyond will simply put a mark up on their own talent and in turn, pass those upticks onto the buying clubs.
For Arsenal, who have players like Sandro Tonali, Tino Livramento and more on their list from Premier League clubs, that could hit their budget hard.
Arsenal are also admirers of Anderson and they’ll be watching his partnership with Declan Rice this summer with interest.
But with such a huge fee being demanded and Arsenal needing other positions covered, any deal seems unlikely.
City, then, could well end up having a big say on just what the Gunners do this year.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
