Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain - December 21, 2019, New Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu inside the stadium.
Arsenal sent scouts out to watch the recent Champions League fixture between FC Porto and Club Brugge on Tuesday.
The Lowdown: January preparations underway
The Portuguese giants hosted Carl Hoefkens’s side under the European lights on Tuesday night, and it was the visitors who brought their A-game to secure an emphatic 4-0 victory.
The summer transfer window might be over, but that hasn’t stopped Edu and Mikel Arteta from beginning their preparations for January, and the duo appear to be wasting no time in deciding who they next want to bring to the Premier League.
The Latest: Arsenal scouts in attendance
According to O Jogo (via Sport Witness), Arsenal ‘had representatives at the Estadio do Dragao’ watching the game, though it’s unknown whether they were there to see any ‘specific targets’ in action.
It’s stated that two of the Porto players who were involved, Pepe and Otavio, ‘have been linked’ with a move to the Gunners previously, though were on the side who suffered a big defeat, so would have failed to impress the officials in attendance.
The Verdict: Winger priorities
It’s common knowledge that Arteta wanted to make signing a new winger a priority, and with both of the players named above being in that position, it wouldn’t be any surprise to discover that it was the duo that Arsenal were keeping tabs on.
Nicolas Pepe joined Nice on a season-long loan over the summer, but the boss failed to land a suitable replacement before the deadline, so it makes sense that he wants to address this area in the upcoming window.
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The Gunners have made an impressive start to the new season, winning five of their six opening games, and this kind of form will only attract the best players from around the world if it can be carried through to the New Year.
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