Fabrizio Romano: “World-class” £61m ace on Arsenal’s wishlist, it’s bad news for White – opinion
Arsenal might consider closing the gap on their pursuit of the Premier League title by once again acquiring a player from their rivals, Manchester City.
Latest on Joao Cancelo to Arsenal
As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, he provided an update on Joao Cancelo’s future and stated that the player has fallen out of favor with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. As a result, Cancelo was loaned out to Bayern Munich in hopes of securing a permanent transfer elsewhere.
However, Romano’s report suggests that Bayern Munich will not exercise their buy-option for Cancelo, which could potentially pave the way for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal to make a move for the Portuguese international.
The Italian journalist wrote on Twitter: “Understand Manchester City are ready to sell João Cancelo this summer. He will return from Bayern, €70m (£61m) buy option won’t be triggered. Arsenal appreciate Cancelo, he’s one of the names in the list. Barça have genuine interest since January but… depends on FFP.”
If Arsenal were to successfully acquire Joao Cancelo from Manchester City, it could be seen as a replication of their previous success in signing Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from the Etihad last summer.
The addition of Cancelo would strengthen Arsenal’s options in the full-back position. However, this potential transfer could have implications for Ben White, suggesting that his playing time or role within the team might be affected as a result.
Joao Cancelo bad news for White
In a season that exceeded expectations, the Gunners can be extremely satisfied with securing the second position, even though they held the top spot for a significant portion of the season.
Although their attacking prowess was largely responsible for their achievements, as evidenced by scoring 88 goals, their defense was equally strong until William Saliba’s injury.
Subsequently, their average goals conceded per game increased from 0.9 to 1.8, highlighting Saliba’s significance.
By acquiring Cancelo, the team would not only enhance their creative options on the right side to complement Zinchenko, but it would also potentially relegate White to a backup position, sitting behind both Cancelo and the French player.
This change in the pecking order can be attributed to the fact that White’s statistics cannot be compared to the exceptional performance of the Manchester City star.
Given Manchester City’s dominance in ball possession, they often require players who are more decisive and creative rather than relying solely on the defensive solidity that the English international offers. It is worth noting that Manchester City ranked fifth in terms of possession this season.
White has performed well as a full-back, but his average rating of 6.91 is mainly based on his contribution of 1.6 tackles, two clearances, and 0.7 key passes per game, according to Sofascore.
In comparison, during his last complete season in England, Cancelo maintained an average rating of 7.33, providing seven assists and scoring one goal. He also averaged 1.1 key passes, along with 1.6 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game, as reported by Sofascore.
Cancelo, at his peak, was truly exceptional at both ends of the pitch, and his attacking drive would likely have resulted in an even more impressive tally than the one mentioned earlier.
During that season, it was not surprising to see Cancelo being referred to as “world-class” by journalist Zach Lowy.
If Cancelo manages to regain that level of performance upon joining the North London team, his arrival could play a vital role in assisting the Gunners in surpassing Manchester City. Furthermore, for Cancelo, it could serve as a personal mission to prove Guardiola wrong for letting him go.
However, White would inevitably find himself relegated to the bench, given the presence and impact of Cancelo.
Fabrizio Romano: “World-class” £61m ace on Arsenal’s wishlist, it’s bad news for White – opinion