Chelsea have been told to drop their interest in Myles Lewis-Skelly and focus on signing one of his Arsenal teammates instead. Former Blues defender Glen Johnson believes Martin Zubimendi would be a better fit for the club as they prioritise experience over potential.
Zubimendi's situation at Arsenal
The Spain international lost his place in the Arsenal starting line-up to Lewis-Skelly at the backend of last season. Arsenal reportedly set an asking price of £45million for the 19-year-old, who is said to remain determined to stay and fight for his place despite increased competition following the signing of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle.
Zubimendi joined Arsenal in a £50m transfer from Real Sociedad and was coveted by new Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso during his time in charge of Real Madrid. Chelsea have also been linked with the midfielder, who is now a Premier League winner.
Johnson's verdict
'I think he would be a brilliant signing for Chelsea,' Johnson told SeatPin. 'I'm not sure why Arsenal are even signing players to replace him when he was so influential for them last season.'
'He has worked with Alonso before at Real Sociedad, so Xabi must really like the player to be pushing to re-sign him at Chelsea. He's now a Premier League winner, so he's only going to be a better player than what he was when they last worked together.'
'I'd be surprised if Arsenal let him go to Chelsea, but if they do, more fool them. He was brilliant last season and knows what it takes to win in the Premier League, which is exactly what Chelsea need. He could be the backbone of Chelsea's midfield next season, and if Alonso wants him as badly as being reported, then the club should do everything they can to sign him.'
Other signings praised
Johnson also praised Chelsea's signing of Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace, calling it the best deal of the summer. 'It was a really shrewd signing. They got him at a great price, and he has plenty of Premier League experience, so I think they got a really good deal on someone who could forge a brilliant partnership with Levi Colwill.'
He added that Marco Palestra is 'an exciting signing' who 'could become a very influential player at Chelsea under Alonso' given time.
