Arsenal Transfer News: Latest on Morgan Schneiderlin, Munir El Haddadi Rumours

Southampton’s in-demand midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has reportedly told friends that he would prefer to join Arsenal over Manchester United this summer.

That’s according to the Sunday Times (h/t Jack Wilson of the Daily Star) which claims that the Frenchman would prefer to work with Arsene Wenger over Louis van Gaal. It’s also noted that Schneiderlin feels as though the Gunners’ style of play is better suited to his own attributes.

As noted by Wilson, the Red Devils had a bid rejected for the 25-year-old of £20 million. Bleacher Report’s Andy Brassell gave us an insight into what Schneiderlin could potentially offer one of the Premier League’s elite sides:

Schneiderlin’s assessment seems to be right on the money. While both Arsenal and United need some sturdier foundations in place at the base of their midfield, the Frenchman’s skilled passing and ability to drive forward with the ball seems perfectly suited to the principles instilled by Wenger.

As noted here by WhoScored.com, the midfielder has supreme defensive qualities too:

It’s these kinds of qualities Arsenal have been lacking for a long time. Wenger has always seemed to be a manager that feels as though keeping the ball in midfield is the best way of defending against the opposition, but the Gunners have been without a destructive presence for so long in the engine room, often making them easy to pick off on the counter-attack.

Encouragingly for Arsenal, Schneiderlin can do both. He’s a brilliant passer, a tremendous defensive shield and a player who would enrich this Gunners midfield if he was to sign.

However, as noted here by Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph, United are right in the running for his signature:

If it’s a straight choice between the two clubs for Schneiderlin, it’s easy to make a case for both sides. But whichever club do land him, even for a fee in excess of £20 million, will be much better equipped to launch a title tilt next season.

News he prefers a move to the Gunners may prompt Arsenal to make their apparent interest more concrete. After landing Petr Cech and solving a longstanding issue between the sticks, if Wenger was to finally sign a top-class holding midfield player, this squad would be ready to challenge Chelsea at the summit of the table next season.

Arsenal Approach Munir El Haddadi

According to Marca (h/t Anthony Chapman of the Sunday Express), Arsenal have surged ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign Barcelona starlet Munir El Haddadi, making an approach for the young forward.

The youngster burst onto the scene at the beginning of the 2014-15 season with Luis Suarez banned. But after the latter linked up superbly with Neymar and Lionel Messi in the second half of the campaign, chances were at a premium in the first team for the La Masia graduate.

Here’s a look at why the 19-year-old is rated so highly by those at the Camp Nou:

The Gunners clearly think so too and, according to the aforementioned piece, an “official approach” has already been made for Munir. It’s also noted that Barca boss Luis Enrique is “reluctant” to let the youngster leave the club at all in the summer, on loan or permanently, having already rejected a move from Ajax.

Alex Shaw of ESPN thinks that an injection of quality up front would make the Gunners title challengers again:

Munir isn’t the man to spearhead a title tilt, though. He has amazing potential and has showcased some exceptional glimpses of class in the Barcelona first team. But he’s still raw, still learning and needs regular games if he is to scale the heights so many expect of him in Catalonia.

A loan deal to a team like Ajax would be ideal for this prodigious young talent, although given Barcelona’s inability to bring in any new faces this summer, it’d be understandable if Enrique was to keep Munir on board until January. Even so, at this juncture, the Emirates seems an unlikely destination for the striker.