David Ornstein breaks silence on Arsenal's transfer pursuit of Rio Ngumoha
Arsenal failed in their pursuit of a superstar winger in the summer, but it appears they haven't given up their search for a player who could fit the bill.
The Gunners were in the market for a new wide forward on this flank in the window that closed at the beginning of this month, as they looked to supplement new signing Christos Tzolis with an electric competitor. However, moves for Vinicius Junior, Bradley Barcola and Morgan Rogers all fell short, leaving Mikel Arteta to make do with the Greek and Eberechi Eze on this side of his attack.
However, the North Londoners are expected to reassess the situation in this area of their squad, and are seemingly already lining up potential targets.
Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha has emerged as a surprise candidate, and transfer guru David Ornstein has chimed in on this potential deal.
The assumption has been that Arsenal are chasing a ready-made star on the left-hand side, given they were supposedly so hot on the likes of Vinicius and Barcola. However, with the market more inflated than ever and the options to fill this vacancy in their squad so limited, they may ultimately opt for a developmental player.
Reports emerged earlier this week that Ngumoha is on their radar, with the Gunners potentially taking the approach of signing the next superstar rather than settling for a functional, established option. The 18-year-old is already at a level where he can contribute to the first team at a reasonable level, but can develop into one of the best wide forwards on the planet.
The speculation suggests that Ngumoha has yet to agree a new contract at Anfield, and that he's contemplating finding a new home due to the presence of Barcola and Cody Gakpo in Liverpool's squad. Both senior players operate in his position, and thus, there is no obvious route to regular game time for him in the north-west.
Conversely, Arsenal can certainly create an enticing proposal for Ngumoha - one that sells him the project of being Arteta's primary long-term option off the left. So far, the reports have been speculative, and fans have understandably been awaiting validation from one of the transfer game's most trusted sources. That has now arrived.
Speaking on the Athletic FC Podcast, Ornstein confirmed that Arsenal are interested, but suggested that he's heard nothing of unrest from the player about his situation at Liverpool.
"I think that there is some interest from Arsenal in Rio Ngumoha," he said.
"I did hear over the summer that they like him - there is surely interest from lots of clubs - it doesn’t mean Liverpool are going to sell him.”
"Liverpool want to renew his contract; I don’t know of an agreement yet on a new deal. We’ll have to wait and see what happens between him & Liverpool, because there’s no suggestion that he’s unhappy there"
Ngumoha was born and raised in London, so a return to his home town might appeal to him. Combine that with Arsenal's status as Premier League champions and as one of the current best teams in Europe, and they have a real chance of landing the prestiguous young talent if he opts to run his contract down.
That said, as Ornstein alluded to, there is likely to be intense competition from elsewhere, with Barcelona mooted as another potential suitor.
Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations