Massive double Arsenal raid on Everton tipped as Arteta spies eye-catching £100m rated duo
Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Amadou Onana are both reportedly targets for Arsenal
Arsenal are being backed to launch a double raid on Everton before the January window shuts with Mikel Arteta reportedly targeting one of the Toffees’ longest-serving stars in addition to Amadou Onana.
The Gunners were top of the Premier League table at Christmas, sparking renewed belief that another push for the title could be on the cards for Arteta’s side. However, a disastrous festive period for Arsenal saw the Gunners lose successive London derbies to West Ham and Fulham to see them fall to fourth in a tightly-congested table, while a home defeat to Liverpool also saw their FA Cup hopes ended for another year.
Those three defeats in succession are relatively new territory for this Arsenal side, who have very much got used to winning and whom can consider themselves unfortunate to not have ended Manchester City’s domination of the Premier League crown last season.
Indeed, Robbie Savage feels that while Arteta is a great manager, he feels that they overachieved somewhat last season; ramping up expectations and driving up the pressure when they do go on a poor run. That said, Savage was also critical of Arteta for failing to address a major weakness in the Arsenal ranks earlier this season.
Thankfully, with the January window open for business, Arteta has a chance to give Arsenal’s squad a much-needed boost with many feeling their side would benefit from both a new midfielder and another reliable striking option.
To that end, Arsenal have been strongly linked with a swoop for Everton midfielder Onana in recent days, with reports in his native Belgium suggesting a £60m valuation from the Toffees will not be enough to dissuade Edu from making an approach.
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Arsenal ready to step up Amadou Onana chase
With the Gunners missing Thomas Partey from their midfield – the Ghanaian’s last appearance coming in October – and with doubts over both Jorginho and Mohammed Elneny, Arsenal’s need for fresh blood in their engine room is obvious.
And with Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz rated at nearer the £100m bracket and beyond their range, a move for Onana certainly makes a lot of sense for Arteta.
With talks reportedly accelerating between the clubs, reports in Belgium suggest it’s just a matter of when, not if, Onana signs on the dotted line.
And with journalist Sacha Tavolieri claiming he favours a move to Arsenal over rival suitors Chelsea, the signs certainly look good for Arsenal.
However, Onana has evolved into one of the Toffees’ more reliable performers and his sale at this stage of the season makes little sense from their point of view.
Sean Dyche’s side are upwardly mobile but a brutal 10-point deduction for alleged breaches of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules leaves them nervously looking over their shoulders. As it stands, they currently sit 17th, just a point clear of Luton, who have a match in hand.
As a result, the suggestions on Merseyside are that Everton, despite their well-documented financial issues, are unwilling to discuss the sale of the nine-times capped Belgium international midway through the season.
Arsenal also tipped to make Dominic Calvert-Lewin raid
Nonetheless, it’s claimed Arsenal will continue to push for the 22-year-old’s signature, believing a potential partnership with Declan Rice will be key to getting their title charge back on track.
The Gunners also could benefit from a new striker and Brentford star Ivan Toney remains a priority target.
However, we exclusively revealed earlier this week that Toney was closing in on a new deal with the Bees and planned to stay loyal to them for the time being at least. However, any new contract would contain a release clause in a move that could give the Gunners hope of a future swoop for Toney.
That won’t help Arsenal for now, though, and as an alternative, talkSPORT presenter Alan Brazil has tipped them up to make a move for Toffees forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin as a Plan B.
Calvert-Lewin has been with Everton since a 2016 move from Sheffield United and while England recognition has come, the 26-year-old has been dogged by persistent injury problems for a number of years.
Nonetheless, Brazil, in conversation with co-host Ally McCoist, argues he’d be a perfect option for Arteta, explaining: “So, I was just going to touch on Calvert-Lewin, so he’s got off his red card and rightly so, that was a joke.
“And I was just thinking if they can’t get the boy from Brentford, if they can’t get Ivan, then would Everton sell Calvert-Lewin? Or are they just worried about his injury problems that he’s got?”
McCoist replied: “No chance. You’ve got to take that into account as well.”
Brazil added: “He’d finish, I think he’d score a lot of goals.”
McCoist concluded: “So do I, but I don’t think there’s any way Everton would sell him. Imagine Everton fans if they sold Calvert-Lewin?”
When fit and firing, there are few better around than Calvert-Lewin.
However, with injuries taking their toll, and with a deal currently due to expire in just 18 months time, the Toffees reportedly value the striker at around the £40m mark. Worth a gamble, perhaps, though it would come as a huge surprise if Arsenal managed to pull off the £100m double raid that would leave Everton fans raging.
