Arsenal would be a “really good fit” for PSV Eindhoven youngster Cody Gakpo, although whether he would be the right signing for them is debatable.
That’s the opinion of FC Afkicken journalists Bruce Tol and Jamil Mensah, who have debated whether a move to the Emirates would be the right one for Gakpo this summer.
Gakpo has been in fine form for the Dutch side this season, with 16 goals and 15 assists in 37 games in all competitions so far this season.
That has put him on the radar of several big clubs in Europe, who are seemingly eyeing up a move for the 22-year-old in the summer transfer window.
Arsenal have been put at the front of the queue for his signature, with it reported this week that they are in pole position to pull off a summer transfer.
They’re a slightly less attractive prospect than the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, who have both also made enquiries, but Tol thinks that works in their favour.
“I think it’s quite a cool club, actually,” he told the FC Afkicken podcast.
“I was thinking about it, and I think he’s really good, he’s really good for his age. I really like how mature he is at PSV and how he really pulls the team together; that always says a lot about a player to me if you can do that at such a young age, never mind your football skills.
“Arsenal are just a bit below the European top, and I think that category of club would be a really good fit. Maybe he’ll come into his own in the Premier League.”
Should Gakpo end up at the Emirates, he would join a squad that is still being redeveloped by Mikel Arteta.
The Spanish boss has decided to go down the younger route with his side, focusing on talent rather than established stars for the most part.
The likes of Aaron Ramsdale (23), Ben White (24), Bukayo Saka (20), Martin Odegaard (23), Emile Smith Rowe (21) and Gabriel Martinelli (20) are now mainstays of the side, and there is a plan to build on that with more youth-focused additions.
At 22-years-old Gakpo fits perfectly into that idea, but Mensah believes those in charge at Arsenal may actually turn their attention the other way.
“I know what you mean, and I certainly agree with you that Gakpo is a really good player; he’s a nice age and, for me, also a really mature player,” he added.
“His mentality, from what I can see, is really good. But I think at Arsenal, especially in the forward line, they already have quite a lot of young players, and as an Arsenal manager, I would not have another twenty-two year old.
“I have the idea that at Arsenal, especially in the forward areas, they already have quite a lot of young outfield players, and if I were Arsenal, I wouldn’t have another twenty-two year old.
“I’d rather look at a player who has played in a bigger league at a young age and already developed.”
