Sports
Arsenal hold preliminary talks with league’s most valuable player after rapid rise
Arsenal have held initial talks with the representatives of a budding midfield talent after his rapid rise, according to a new report.
Arsenal look to bounce back against bottom-side Wolves
Arsenal return to Premier League action on Saturday evening against bottom-side Wolves at the Emirates Stadium in a classic David vs Goliath encounter.
The Gunners saw their advantage at the summit trimmed to just two points following last weekend’s heartbreaking 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa, where Emi Buendia’s last-gasp strike ended their 18-match unbeaten run.
Man City’s victory over Sunderland has intensified the pressure on Mikel Arteta‘s side, though Saturday’s late kick-off offers an opportunity to extend the gap to five points before City face Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Arsenal responded impressively to that Villa disappointment with a commanding 3-0 Champions League triumph at Club Brugge on Wednesday evening.
Noni Madueke put in a sensational performance, scoring twice, including a stunning 25-yard strike, while Gabriel Martinelli added another beauty to maintain their perfect European record.
Arteta says “really special” Arsenal star has been so good in training lately
The Spaniard is thrilled with him.
The victory all but secured automatic qualification for the knockout stages as one of the seeded teams, but Wolves present an entirely different challenge.
Arriving in north London still searching for their first victory of the campaign, Rob Edwards’ side remain rooted to the foot of the table with just two points from 15 games, sitting an alarming 13 points from safety.
Their Monday night 4-1 home humiliation against Man United extended Wolves’ losing streak to eight consecutive defeats, matching their worst run in Premier League history.
Only QPR in 2012/13 and Sheffield United in 2020/21 have endured longer winless starts to a Premier League season than Wolves’ current nightmare.
Their two points also represent a joint-low after 15 games in top-flight history, highlighting the severity of their catastrophic start.
Arsenal boast an intimidating record against Wolves, winning eight consecutive meetings with an aggregate scoreline of 17-3. The north Londoners remarkably haven’t failed to score against them since February 1979, a remarkable 35-match run, so Edwards’ men are certainly the underdogs heading into this one.
Away from the pitch, sporting director Andrea Berta is continuing his mission to identify top talent for Arteta.
Reports this week suggest that Arsenal have held talks with Yan Diomande’s entourage ahead of a potential move for the teenage RB Leipzig winger, and now the same can be said of Polish sensation Oskar Pietuszewski.
Arsenal hold talks with Oskar Pietuszewski’s camp
That is according to TEAMtalk, who report that Arsenal have held discussions with the representatives of Pietuszewski, even if City threaten to hijack their pursuit of the 17-year-old starlet.
Berta dispatched senior Arsenal scouts to Poland on multiple occasions to watch the Jagiellonia Białystok talent in action this season, alongside Chelsea and City, with all three Premier League giants ‘hugely impressed’ by the teenager’s performances.
Arsenal have engaged in preliminary talks with Pietuszewski’s camp as they assess whether to launch a formal bid for one of Poland’s ‘most complete teenage talents in years’.
However, City have intensified their interest by sending their head of emerging talent to Poland, holding their own discussions with Pietuszewski.
Their aggressive approach appears to have positioned them ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea in the three-way battle, but that doesn’t mean Berta should give up.
Pietuszewski has dazzled in the Polish first tier this season, bagging three goals and two assists across 16 appearances, and according to Transfermarkt, he’s now the Ekstraklasa’s ‘most valuable player’ by transfer value.
Primarily deployed as a left-winger, the versatile youngster can operate as a holding midfielder or anywhere across the forward line.
Arsenal have been informed they must pay a minimum of £13m to secure Pietuszewski’s signature, a figure that could rise with performance bonuses and shatter Jagiellonia’s outgoing transfer record.
Born in Białystok, Pietuszewski rose through Jagiellonia’s academy before breaking into the senior squad last season.
His international breakthrough came with four goals in six caps for Poland’s Under-21 side, underlining his rapid ascent.
While open to a Premier League move, Pietuszewski wants first-team minutes. European rivals including Ajax, PSV, Lille, Bologna and Barcelona have also scouted him, so the player could have a long list of suitors knocking at the door very soon.
