Louis Saha has identified the perfect Leandro Trossard replacement for Arsenal and has urged the Gunners to beat Liverpool in the race to sign the World Cup star Bradley Barcola.
Trossard's Departure and Arsenal's Search
The Belgium international has been one of the smartest signings of Mikel Arteta's tenure, costing only £27 million when he joined from Brighton three-and-a-half years ago. Having played a crucial role in Arsenal's first title-winning campaign in 22 years, Trossard has been granted a move to Besiktas and will complete a £20 million transfer after the World Cup.
Arteta had been keen to add to his forward line even before sanctioning Trossard's departure and has identified a number of high-profile targets. Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers is said to be keen on a move to the Premier League champions, while Arsenal are exploring a move to sign Greek winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge. Arsenal are also keeping tabs on Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola, who may seek a fresh challenge having slipped down Luis Enrique's pecking order last season.
Liverpool's Interest and Salah's Void
Liverpool, too, are keeping tabs on the France international, who will face an even bigger fight for a place in the European champions' starting XI with the impending arrival of Yan Diomande, who snubbed a move to the Reds from RB Leipzig. One of Andoni Iraola's first jobs as Liverpool manager will be to fill the void created by Mohamed Salah's departure, but Saha believes Barcola would be best served by moving to Arsenal.
Saha's Verdict on Barcola
'Bradley Barcola is a terrific player,' Saha told LiveFootballTickets. 'He has already won two Champions Leagues, and he could even win the World Cup over the next few weeks, his achievements for such a young player are staggering. He has become a much improved player over the past few seasons, he gets better and better every year, and he can go right to the very top of football.
'What Barcola needs is to move somewhere where he is going to be first choice in his position week in, week out. His confidence will improve ten-fold once that happens, and then he will be a way more dangerous player. If he gets a move to Arsenal, he would be unbelievable on the left-hand side for them.
'His talent precedes him, and he has the ability to take any top attacking side to the next level. He has enormous potential. He is so direct, creative, and he has the ability to go in behind, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a bidding war for him go on all summer between top sides if he wants to leave PSG and cement his place in a top Premier League side.'
