Arteta all-but confirms record transfer after Bournemouth friendly

Updated: 25 Jul 2024 08:05 BST
3 min read

Mikel Arteta went a long way to confirming Arsenal’s first major transfer of the summer following a 1-1 friendly draw with Bournemouth in Carson, California.

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The Gunners, who have only confirmed the permanent addition of David Raya and the signing of young goalkeeper Tommy Setford so far, opened the scoring through Fabio Vieira but were pegged back with 17 minutes left as Antoine Semenyo struck for the Cherries.

A penalty shootout followed in which Arsenal claimed a 5-4 success, with Leandro Trossard the only player in Arteta’s side to miss.

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After the match, the manager addressed the surprising non-appearance of Emile Smith Rowe in a fixture in which the Spaniard took the opportunity to use much of his squad.

“There are things happening in the background, so we felt it was best not to use him,” Arteta said.

Fulham and Crystal Palace are the two teams most interested in a move for Smith Rowe. Indeed, the Cottagers had a bid rejected but The Mirror reports that they returned with a new offer of £35 million (€41m) plus £5m (€6m) in bonuses.

Smith Rowe is, therefore, set to become Arsenal's most expensive ever sale, surpassing the €40m the Gunners received from Barcelona for Marc Overmars in 2000.

Arteta on Calafiori deal

Arteta’s willingness to admit that “things” are happening with Smith Rowe suggests a deal is at least moderately likely. His comments contrast sharply with his reticence to confirm the transfer of Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna or the possible departures of Eddie Nketiah or Reiss Nelson.

On the Italy centre-back, Arteta said: “There is no update. As soon as we have something to say we will say. You know I don’t like talking about external players.”

He was similarly tight-lipped on Nketiah and Nelson, who both started against Bournemouth, as he admitted: “A lot of players are being linked with potential moves. It’s normal. What I really like are the players that we have, the levels that they are showing. Just talking about those two the way they performed.”

Arsenal next face Manchester United in a friendly on Sunday in Los Angeles, with that match kicking off at 01:00 UK time.