Arsenal are hoping to strengthen their squad in the January window and according to reports, they are targeting more Premier League-ready players.
The Gunners splashed the cash in the summer, predominantly focussing on bringing in players who were experienced in the Premier League.
That approach seems to have worked well so far, with improved performances and results.
According to ESPN, the Gunners are now targeting two players from Aston Villa. The first, Ollie Watkins, who has shown great Premier League pedigree since joining from Brentford for just shy of £30million in the summer of 2020 – he’s now valued at £31.5million on transfermarkt.
Watkins is now moving into his prime years and after proving himself in the Premier League, you can expect Villa to demand around £40million to consider parting with him.
According to the same report, the other player Arsenal are keeping an eye on is Douglas Luiz. A new striker and holding midfielder are on the agenda for Edu Gaspar and Mikel Arteta, and Douglas appears to tick a number of boxes.
Edu will be well aware of the players abilities, having been capped 9 times for Brazil and being a graduate of the Vasco da Gama academy. Luiz also spent two years at Manchester City, so it’s possible Arteta already knows the player well. Aged 23, he is the right age profile to slot into this young Arsenal side.
Again, following the £100million sale of Jack Grealish, Villa have no need to sell any more key players. Luiz is valued at £31.5million on transfermarkt, and I would expect him to also cost around that £40million mark.
Would an £80million double swoop on Watkins and Luiz be good value?