Arsenal unveiled their new kit on Monday morning, with a new manufacturer too. Adidas replaced Puma ahead of the new season, meaning the trademark three stripes will be accompanying the famous red and white for Unai Emery’s side next season. But one interesting tweet from the Adidas Twitter account got Gunners fans extremely excited about a potential new signing.
Hakim Ziyech, the Ajax playmaker who looks set to depart the Dutch club this summer, has been linked with a move to the Premier League. Adidas appeared to mock up a picture of the new shirt with his name on the back, sending Arsenal fans into meltdown.
Unfortunately for them, though, it wasn’t what it appeared as they were just replying to another account dedicated to the Moroccan playmaker. Though Unai Emery’s side were said to have an interest in the player, a switch to the Emirates Stadium is looking unlikely, with Arsenal unlikely to have more than £40million to spend before player sales.
That said, preliminary talks have reportedly taken place with Crystal Palace over their winger Wilfried Zaha. The Eagles are said to be unwilling to sell the player for less than £80million, having just sold Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United in a deal worth £50million. To make matters all the more complicated, United have a 25% sell on clause for Zaha having sold him back to Palace in 2015, and that is what is in part behind their extremely high price tag.
Whether Arsenal can lure Zaha, who is said to be keen on a Palace exit while wanting to stay in London, remains to be seen.
The defence is also a key area Emery wants to strengthen, though they could sell Shkodran Mustafi in order to fund any signing at the back in the next few weeks. Defeat in the Europa League final to Chelsea, coupled with failure to make it into the Premier League’s top four last season, means they may struggle to attract big names with no Champions League football. Ziyech doesn’t look like being among the arrivals ahead of next season.
