Mikel Arteta told Arsenal winger is better option than £145m transfer target

Ex-Chelsea star Andy Townsend has questioned Arsenal’s rumoured interest in Bradley Barcola and claims Gabriel Martinelli is a better option than the Paris Saint-Germain forward.

Arsenal are on the hunt for a high-quality left winger after allowing Leandro Trossard to leave for Besiktas in a £17million deal last month.

The Gunners officially confirmed the arrival of Bruno Guimaraes at the weekend and have also completed moves for Christos Tzolis and free agent Illan Meslier this summer.

The Premier League champions had explored the possibility of signing Vinicius Junior, with Mikel Arteta said to be ‘absolutely smitten’ with the idea of bringing the Real Madrid superstar to the Emirates.

But Vinicius would go on to sign a new long-term contract at the Bernabeu, forcing Arsenal to consider alternatives elsewhere, namely Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz and PSG’s Barcola.

PSG are in no hurry to part with Barcola, though, and have reportedly slapped an eye-watering £145m price tag on the 23-year-old France international, with Liverpool also known to be admirers.

Meanwhile, Martinelli is being heavily linked with a move away from north London and Turkish giants Galatasaray are the latest team to make an approach for the Brazilian – Arsenal’s longest serving player.

‘It’s not like they’re wanting Martinelli to necessarily go, I don’t think that is ever going to be the case. However, if they got proper money for him then, yeah, they might be prepared to trade,’ Townsend said in response to the rumours on talkSPORT.

‘Trading players for Mikel Arteta, it keeps everything alive and just keeps everything a little fresher around the camp which is very important for any club.

‘But who do they go to? Losing Leandro Trossard for the money that they lost him for… I think that was a slightly strange one in some ways because he was always good value for a really important goal, he was a clever player coming off the bench, always wanting to affect the game.

‘I totally got going for Vinicius Junior but I don’t get going for just another one.’

Townsend has been left flummoxed by PSG’s enormous asking price for Barcola and doubts the Frenchman would be an upgrade on Martinelli.

‘I don’t see Barcola at the sort of levels that others do, clearly. I don’t see him at anything like that sort of money, I really don’t,’ he added.

‘I think he’s way behind Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue personally, I think they’re far better players.

‘I don’t think he’s got the end product in his game to warrant £145m, no chance.

‘I don’t think I’d swap Martinelli for him, I don’t think I would. Honestly.

‘Martinelli knows this division, he’s proven himself now to be a valuable member of Arsenal’s team and I don’t see that it’s that much of a massive trade-up for the sort of money that they’d need to invest in him [Barcola].’

Townsend is intrigued to see how Arsenal youngsters Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri fare next season, with the latter scoring in the side’s 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.

‘It’ll be interesting to see if they are really active now in that position or whether or not they’re prepared to go with what they have,’ he went on.

‘Max Dowman, it’s a big season for him coming up and Ethan Nwaneri, these boys.’

Arsenal return to the Emirates for their last remaining pre-season friendly against Como on Wednesday evening.

The Gunners will then turn their attentions to their Community Shield showdown with Manchester City four days later at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

Arteta’s men begin their Premier League title defence at home to newly promoted Coventry City on August 21.

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