Arsenal news: The Gunners have shown interest in signing young Villareal winger Alex Baena in recent weeks.
Baena enjoyed a breakthrough campaign while on loan with Segunda División club Girona last term. He played 35 league games during his time at Estadi Montilivi, registering five goals and six assists. His performances in the second division also impressed coaches at Valencia, who promoted him to the first team. The 21-year-old attacker has played six league games this season, scoring three goals. He also registered three goals in two UEFA Europa Conference League appearances so far.
Arsenal news: The Gunners linked with Alex Baena
According to TEAMtalk (via Sportskeeda), the London outfit want to sign winger Alex Baena from Villareal. The Spaniard has established himself as among the most sought-after attackers in Europe following his impressive start to the current season.
The Gunners have enjoyed an excellent summer transfer window of 2022. They spent an accumulated sum of £118.86 million to bring reinforcements to their squad. Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Marquinhos joined their camp during the recently concluded window. Mikel Arteta also showed interest in adding a new winger during the concluding stages of the window following the departure of Nicolas Pepe to OGC Nice.
Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk was linked heavily with a move to the Emirates Stadium but the deal failed to materialise. However, Arteta has now identified Baena as a candidate to bolster his forward line. The 21-year-old winger is available to sign for £35 million due to a release clause in his contract. Nevertheless, the Gunners will face competition from Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, who have also shown interest in securing his services in recent weeks. It will take a lot of persuasion from Mikel Arteta to bring him to North London. Apart from Baena, Neto and Cody Gapko are other wingers linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium recently.
What will Alex Baena bring to the Emirates Stadium?
Baena is a versatile footballer who is capable of playing in numerous positions across midfield and forward line. His key strengths are his pace and dribbling skills, along with his composure in front of the goal. According to WhoScored, he has averaged 1.3 shots, 0.3 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per 90 in LaLiga this term. Apart from that, he has completed 74.1 per cent of his attempted passes in the Spanish top division.
What’s next?
Arsenal are currently at the top of the English Premier League table, one point clear of second-placed Manchester City. They will next lock horns against city rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the league before hosting Norwegian club FK Bodø/Glimt at Emirates for a UEFA Europa League fixture on October 7.
Meanwhile, Villareal are currently sixth in the La Liga table, with 11 points from six games. They will next play Cadiz in the league before locking horns against Austria Wein in the UEFA Europa League on October 7. Baena is expected to play a key role for the Yellow Submarine in both games.
