Arsenal are scouting a former Real Madrid youngster who has been lavished with praise by former Gunners midfielder Cesc Fabregas, according to a new report.
Arsenal look to summer transfer window as title charge stalls
In a matter of just a couple of months, Arsenal’s season has been almost completely derailed. Since the turn of the year, the Gunners have been ejected out of both the FA Cup and EFL Cup by Manchester United and Newcastle respectively, while their chase for the Premier League title has also all but come to an end.
An unlikely defeat to West Ham United and a draw with Nottingham Forest in their two most recent games has left them trailing league leaders Liverpool by 13 points with just 11 games to go.
Speaking after his side’s 0-0 draw with high-flying Forest, head coach Mikel Arteta highlighted where it’s gone wrong this year.
“For many years, that (our defensive record) has not been a problem, but in order to win, you have to score goals,” he explained. “We need to find ways to convert more chances and get goals from different areas of the pitch. That’s something we certainly need to improve.”
Arteta’s side do remain with one shot at silverware this season, however, in the form of the Champions League, where they take on PSV Eindhoven in the round of 16 on Tuesday night.
“It’s a competition we’ve performed tremendously well in this season,” said the Spaniard. “We fought hard to get into this position, and now, as we enter the knockout stages, the building starts now.”
Arsenal eyeing Como sensation Nico Paz
To find more goals, Arsenal will now, of course, have to wait until the summer transfer window, where fans will be hoping Arteta can finally add a world-class striker to his squad after years of unanswered pleas. According to Caught Offside, however, Arteta is also keen to revitalise his midfield in the summer, and has his eyes firmly on Como star Nico Paz.
Paz joined Como from Real Madrid’s youth set-up in August and has since been enjoying a fine debut season for Cesc Fabregas’ side, scoring six goals and producing five assists in 25 Serie A games.
Caught Offside report that Arteta wants the 20-yer-old to provide competition for Martin Odegaard in attacking midfield, but will face competition for his signature from both Manchester City and Inter Milan. Madrid also have a rather bizarre clause to buy back Paz for either £6.6 million in the summer of 2025, £7.4 million in 2026 or £8.2 million in 2027, with Como perhaps not realising his potential to fetch a much bigger fee when they signed that deal.
Paz, who earned his first Argentina cap back in October, has been described by Fabregas as a “a special player” who “must be free to express himself”. Fabregas also made it clear recently that he wants to keep Paz at Como for the forseeable future.
“Nico is a Como player. Real Madrid can buy him back, but at a certain price,” he explained. “Nico is a young player, and our relationship with his family is very stable.”
“They [Paz’s family] are very happy, they thank us for all this, and it is a great pleasure for us to have him here. Nico is our brand, and we want him to continue with us for many years to come.”
