Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes Jadon Sancho could thrive in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium – and warned Mikel Arteta over signing Bruno Fernandes.
The Gunners’ hopes of ending their two-decade-long wait to return to the summit of English football are hanging on by a thread. Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday opened up a two-point gap going into the final game of the season on Sunday.
Arsenal need to win and hope West Ham United can pick up an unlikely result away at the reigning Champions League and Premier League holders. Arteta’s side have improved on last season’s performance as they have taken the title race down until the final day but are outsiders on the final day of the season with fate out of their hands.
This summer will be an important one in North London as they look to keep pace with Pep Guardiola’s squad plus the added threat from Liverpool, who enter a new phase following Jurgen Klopp’s exit. Arsenal will be looking to strengthen in the attacking department after Gabriel Jesus’ struggles as the Gunners’ focal point.
Petit believes Arsenal should capitalise on Sancho’s form after returning to Borussia Dortmund, thus ending his Manchester United nightmare, he told Grosvenor Sport: “I was saying how impressed I was with Jadon Sancho in the Champions League on commentary – he looks like a new player, so fit, thin and explosive.
”He’s like dynamite on the pitch, so explosive on the ball with Adeyemi on the left flank – so hard to catch. He’s back to his best and Man United look so far away from them, so if Arsenal want him, why not? You can put the best player in the world at Man United at the moment and they’d look average in two months.”
The Manchester Evening News reported in May that Manchester United are in talks with Sancho during his loan move in the Bundesliga. Manager Erik ten Hag noted the Englishman’s performance will have increased his value amid the probability he will be sold in the summer.
It has been claimed United would demand a fee of at least £30million for the 24-year-old three years on from his high-profile £72m arrival.
Captain Martin Odegaard has been one of the standout performances at the Emirates Stadium but there are a lack of alternatives in midfield to ease the burden on the Norwegian. Fernandes is linked with a move away from Old Trafford amid Erik ten Hag’s struggles with the Red Devils.
However, the former France international has claimed that the Portuguese midfielder shouldn’t be on the list of targets. He added: ”Should Arsenal sign Fernandes as back-up to Odegaard? To be honest, Odegaard is a better player than him and I’m not that convinced with Fernandes.
”He’s the captain and one of their better players, but I’m not sure Arsenal need him. Odegaard also has a better mentality and isn’t always upset, throwing his arms up in the air to his teammates.
”When you’re captain, you have to be a leader in difficult times and show why you’re the captain. The behaviour of Arsenal players and their commitment to the cause, I’m not sure Fernandes has the same standards.”
