According to the latest reports, Premier League duo of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing AS Roma midfielder Steven N’Zonzi in the summer transfer window. The French midfielder was part of the squad that won the World Cup in 2018 but now is looking to move away from the Italian capital and maybe return to England.
Unai Emery’s debut season at Arsenal and in the Premier League was quite a mixed one as he became the successor to the legendary Arsene Wenger at the helm. The 69-year-old Frenchman was in charge of Arsenal for 22 long years and helped the club to win several major honors including three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups during his reign.
However, towards the last few seasons of his managerial career, Wenger wasn’t able to adapt to the newer generation of managers and players and was left behind creating a toxic fan base which wanted him out of the club. The Arsenal faithful were eager to make him leave the club in order for some fresh air and appointed Unai Emery instead.
The Spanish boss had a great start to life at Arsenal as he implemented his philosophy into the club and most of his summer signings hit the ground running. Emery took Arsenal on a 22 game unbeaten streak across all competitions in the early part of the season and a top four berth looked like a certainty until a stunning collapse towards the back end of the campaign. The North London side finished in fifth place on the Premier League table and was ineligible to play in the Champions League. Arsenal had another opportunity to play in the elite competition if they won the Europa League final against Chelsea but the Blues handed a 4-1 hammering to their local London rivals in Baku indicating that Emery has a big task on his hands if he needs to win titles on a regular basis with Arsenal over the next few seasons.
In order to bolster his squad, Emery needs to look into the summer transfer market to purchase a few players that could replace the departed players. The Welsh midfielder left the Gunners and joined Serie A champs Juventus and Arsenal are looking for a midfielder who can provide stability in the centre of the park, along with a few goals from time to time.
Recent reports claim that the Gunners are targeting AS Roma midfielder Steven N’Zonzi in the summer as N’Zonzi looks to leave the Stadio Olimpico after just one season in Rome. The 30-year-old midfielder has played in the Premier League before for Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers as well.
However, Arsenal’s local North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also monitoring the situation for the World Cup-winning Frenchman. Spurs made their first signing of the summer and since January 2018, when they recruited Tanguy Ndombele from Olympique Lyon, Mauricio Pochettino’s side sold Moussa Dembele back in the January transfer market and are looking to build on their current squad of players at their new stadium.
