Van Gaal may have saved Arsenal from £33m mistake this summer
FT Desk
- 25 Mar 2022 20:58 GMT
- 7 min read
Arsenal look in decent shape right now, as the London club make a late and perfectly doable push to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season.
Mikel Arteta has managed to sell a number of high-profile and expensive flops and the pieces are now in place to build an exciting team.
However, one issue for the team going into the summer transfer window is how to replace striker Alexandre Lacazette.
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The French talisman is set to leave the club at the end of the season and, as such, Arsenal have been linked with a number of potential strikers to replace him in the summer.
One such player that may still be top of Arteta’s shopping list is none other than PSV forward Cody Gakpo, who has been linked with a move to London for some time.
However, before Arsenal make a bid of what could end up being £33 million for the young talent, they may want to consider some friendly advice from Netherlands national team manager Louis Van Gaal.
What did Van Gaal say?
Despite being earmarked as a potential replacement for Lacazette, Gakpo has spent much of this season playing as a winger for PSV and when asked about the young talent, Van Gaal made it clear that he thought the striker’s future relied upon him staying out wided and not developing into a striker.
“He’s played as a striker a few times, but it didn’t fare so well for him,” said the Dutch manager in a press conference on Friday.
“I had a conversation with him about where he could play, and we discussed that. That will remain private for now, but there are positions I think he can play there.
“That depends on his development and his form, because it is not the case that you get a place in the Dutch national team without showing that form.”
As such, if Arsenal were hoping to sign Gakpo as their next No.9, they may want to serious reconsider their options and look elsewhere this summer.
