‘The perfect signing’: Arsenal urged to look at £49k-a-week ace, ‘ideal’ long-term Xhaka replacement

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Goal.com’s Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts believes Jude Bellingham would be “the perfect signing” for the Gunners.

On Friday, Watts wrote an article on Goal.com looking at which club ‘needs to sign England’s wonderkid the most’.

And while he feels Liverpool need Bellingham the most, he believes he’d fit the bill at Arsenal too.

The 19-year-old is arguably the best teenager in world football at the moment.

He already captains Borussia Dortmund, and has looked a cut above for England at the World Cup too.

Bellingham’s towering header broke Iran’s resistance on Monday and opened the floodgates for a 6-2 win.

Although he wasn’t quite so influential against the United States, there’s still plenty of time for him (and England) to keep making an impact in Qatar.

‘A clear need for him at the Emirates Stadium’

Watts admitted that the finances involved would make an Arsenal move “very unlikely”.

Nonetheless, he certainly feels Bellingham would be the right fit for the Gunners.

‘It has to be said that the prospect of Arsenal being able to land Bellingham is an unlikely one,’ wrote Watts.

‘He fits the bill perfectly when it comes to the profile of player that the Gunners now target under the watch of Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu, given his age and technical ability.

‘And with Granit Xhaka now into his 30s, Bellingham would be the ideal long-term replacement for the Switzerland captain to play in one of the No.8 roles that Arteta likes to operate with in his 4-3-3 system.

‘So in that regard, Bellingham would be the perfect signing and there is a clear need for him at the Emirates Stadium.

‘Landing the young England star would also be a huge statement for Arsenal, and would be another sign that they are now ready to reclaim their spot amongst Europe’s elite clubs.

‘There is no doubt they would be interested, but the finances that would be involved, however, make any deal feel very unlikely.

‘They could cover the wages, especially if they do go on to secure Champions League football. But entering into a bidding war against some of Europe’s biggest spenders is not something that Arsenal are really capable of.

‘Their record transfer fee is still the £72 million they spent to sign Nicolas Pepe from Nice. And it will take much, much more than that to see off the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and potentially Real Madrid for Bellingham.’

Unlikely – but not impossible

As unlikely as it may seem at this stage, Arsenal are certainly on the right track in terms of what they’re doing on the pitch.

Their dressing room is also better than it has been for years, and Bellingham would certainly be a good fit.

If Arsenal win the Premier League title and build on it, who’s to say a move for the £49,000-a-week star can’t be on the cards?