The Chris Wheatley Show is a brand new weekly series talking all things Arsenal and the Premier League. This week, Chris Wheatley and host Jason Jones reveal the latest on pre-season, Mohammed Kudus and more.
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00:00 As always, Chris, we've had plenty of listener questions for you.
00:02 I'm going to pick out a few and just go through them now.
00:04 We'll start with one from Din, who's asking whether or not one of the Saudi clubs
00:08 could come in and potentially swoop for Mikel Arteta.
00:10 You mentioned it before, plenty of interest, not just in players,
00:13 but in managers, Premier League managers this summer.
00:17 I mean, is Mikel Arteta likely to be one of those at any point?
00:20 Hello, welcome to another episode of the Chris Wheatley Show,
00:27 the international world's one-stop shop to keep you in the know on all things Arsenal.
00:30 I'm your host, Jason Jones, and I'm joined as always by the man himself, Chris Wheatley.
00:34 This week, we'll be talking all things pre-season, potential transfers,
00:38 and as always, we'll be putting your listener questions to Chris as well.
00:41 So without further ado, Chris, plenty to get through this week, mate.
00:45 Arsenal beat in action over the past few days,
00:47 a pretty resounding result against the MLS All-Stars stateside,
00:52 and then they played Manchester United over the weekend as well,
00:54 a 2-0 defeat in that one.
00:57 I mean, it's very early days, isn't it?
00:59 How much can we actually read into these results at this stage?
01:02 Yeah. Hi, Jason. I think it really is an interesting pre-season so far,
01:08 but more just because Arsenal fans are getting to see these new signings
01:11 that they've really been anticipating and looking forward to watching.
01:16 Declan Rice, of course, being the main showpiece signing this summer,
01:21 but Uri and Timba as well.
01:24 I think he's impressed so far in that right-back position.
01:28 So yeah, I mean, it's pre-season.
01:30 I wouldn't read too much into the results.
01:32 The United game in particular, disappointing because, of course,
01:36 it's Manchester United.
01:38 Over the years, there's been some really competitive games, of course,
01:42 going from all the way back to those Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira days.
01:46 So it was interesting before the game, Eric Ten Haag said that his team
01:50 don't play pre-season friendlies.
01:53 There's no such word as a friendly in his dictionary.
01:56 And they certainly showed that on the pitch.
01:58 I think Lissandro Martinez was particularly aggressive on the pitch.
02:03 A couple of fiery tackles and Martin Aldergaard actually squared up to him
02:07 as well during the game.
02:10 So it was an interesting battle, of course, but like I say,
02:13 not too much to read into it in terms of the result.
02:17 Gabriel did make a mistake at the back to let Jadon Sancho in,
02:22 which will be disappointing, of course.
02:24 But I think the main thing is get those mistakes out of the way in pre-season.
02:29 And then the real big game, I think, comes next month when Arsenal face
02:34 Manchester City in the Community Shield.
02:36 That will be a bit more of a match, which will tell us more about the team
02:40 ahead of the Premier League season, of course.
02:43 And in terms of the players who could be involved in that particular game,
02:46 as we really do sort of close in on the start of the campaign proper,
02:51 there's been a bit of an update on Thomas Partey,
02:53 Michael Arteta speaking about him and his future.
02:55 Can you just give us a little bit of information?
02:58 Because he has been linked sort of perpetually over the course of the summer
03:00 with a potential exit from the Emirates.
03:02 He has, yeah. 30 years old now, of course, Thomas Partey.
03:05 It's not too old, or at least I'd like to think it's not too old.
03:10 And I would say that Thomas Partey has been a really important player
03:14 in the last season for Arsenal.
03:15 I think previous to that, he's had a lot of injury problems,
03:18 but I think he's really made that position his own.
03:21 He's one of the first names in that midfield.
03:25 But maybe his position will be more under threat this season
03:28 because of the signing of Declan Rice.
03:31 But interesting comments from Michael Arteta ahead of that Manchester United game.
03:36 He was asked whether he expected Thomas Partey to stay.
03:39 He said, yes, Thomas is a super important player for us.
03:43 Every time I had a conversation with him, he says he wants to stay with us.
03:47 There is nothing there at all.
03:49 Nothing there being the rumours, of course.
03:51 He's been linked with a move to Saudi team Al-Ali,
03:56 one of the many Saudi teams buying up lots of big name players this summer.
04:02 Not just big name players, of course, big name managers.
04:04 Marco Silva, the full-on boss, has just turned down
04:07 a 40 million per year deal to manage in Saudi Arabia.
04:14 It's crazy.
04:15 I mean, we could probably dedicate our own separate show to the Saudi stuff
04:20 because it's wild at the moment with the amount of money being spent.
04:25 And I've just read as well, Kylian Mbappe has been offered
04:29 a potential move to Saudi as well.
04:31 300 million pounds is the touted transfer fee for him.
04:37 Whether or not that is accurate is another question,
04:40 but it's clear there's a lot of money being spent.
04:43 Thomas Partey, though, doesn't look like he'll be one of those players heading there.
04:46 And it looks like his future at the moment is going to be at Arsenal,
04:50 according to Nikola Teta.
04:52 I guess it comes back to something that we've spoken about before, Chris,
04:54 isn't it?
04:55 The importance of strength and depth this season for Arsenal.
04:58 I think that we saw it at certain stages towards the end of last season,
05:01 whether we may be caught just a little bit short in certain key positions.
05:04 And obviously now, of course, they've got the Champions League to consider as well.
05:08 Do you think that it's going to be a case of Teta potentially rotating
05:11 between his options in midfield and really trying to get the best out of them
05:14 in terms of their longevity and limiting that fatigue?
05:19 I think so, yeah.
05:20 I think when you look at that midfield, there's a number of options there.
05:23 Just going through some of them now, Martin Odegaard, Jorginho, Fabio Vieira,
05:28 of course, he had an indifferent season last season,
05:31 but he'll be hoping to get a bit more game time during this campaign.
05:36 You've also got the likes of Mohamed Elneny, completely forgotten about.
05:40 Mikel Arteta hasn't even mentioned him in any of his interviews
05:43 when talking about Arsenal's midfielders, but he'll be back soon.
05:47 He'll be ready to play and I'm sure he's another one which will be considered for game time.
05:53 Obviously, he's not a first choice starter, but he is a squad player.
05:57 So when you look at the options as well, and Kai Havertz, a new signing,
06:02 I think there's quite a lot of players to choose from for Mikel Arteta.
06:05 And that's exactly what he wants.
06:07 As you said, Jason, I think last season he really did struggle because of that lack of depth
06:13 in those final few games.
06:14 And you could argue that was one of the reasons why their Premier League title tilt faded away at the end.
06:20 But now it looks like they've got positions or players in the right positions.
06:25 They've really bolstered their squad.
06:27 But I think now the focus will be, of course, on outgoings.
06:32 So do you think that this probably puts pair to any rumours, including Mohamed Kudos,
06:37 obviously the Ajax midfielder, he's been linked, a compatriot of Thomas Partey, it has to be said.
06:41 But do you think that if Partey is staying, the chances are that Kudos will not be coming through the door?
06:46 I think Kudos is a long-term target.
06:48 And of course, Chelsea are admirers of him.
06:51 In fact, they're pretty confident that they are close to agreeing personal terms with the Ghana star.
06:57 And I think, as you mentioned, a teammate of Thomas Partey.
07:00 But I don't think it makes too much of a difference in terms of where Partey goes this summer.
07:05 He's a long-term target.
07:07 I think really, though, what is going to be the priority now is outgoings before Arsenal bring any more players in.
07:13 They've spent in excess of £200 million this summer.
07:18 Granit Xhaka, of course, being the main departure, the sale, £21.5 million.
07:24 Not a bad transfer fee for Granit Xhaka, of course.
07:27 They'll be hoping to get a little bit more, though.
07:29 There's a few players who could be leaving in the coming weeks.
07:32 I'm sure we're going to go through them very shortly, of course.
07:35 But I think there's a lot of sales that Arsenal could make just to get some of that money back that they've spent this summer.
07:44 But I think Kudos is certainly a long-term target.
07:47 Not expecting anything to happen imminently because Arsenal's focus is on outgoings.
07:53 Now, as you mentioned in that last section there, Chris,
07:59 plenty of potential outgoings at the Emirates this summer with Mikel Arteta potentially recouping some of the fees
08:05 that he's already spent on those players who've come in.
08:08 I'm just going to run through a few of them now, just sort of get your opinion on where their futures might lie
08:12 and if they could potentially leave the club.
08:14 We'll start with Flo Balogun, obviously a player who had a lot of column inches dedicated to him,
08:19 a lot of speculation surrounding his future.
08:21 Is there any update on where the young striker might be playing his football next season?
08:25 Well, judging from Mikel Arteta's comments after recent friendly matches,
08:30 he's going to take a look at Flo Balogun before making any final decision on his future.
08:35 Now, we know Balogun had an amazing season out in France last season,
08:40 and because of that, he's attracted a lot of interest.
08:43 And that interest is coming from some big clubs as well.
08:46 Inter in Italy are really interested in signing him.
08:50 The only issue there that I can see is the finances that they are currently weighing up
08:56 that they're going to offer Arsenal is not exactly what Arsenal are looking for.
09:01 Now, the first bid that they are looking to prepare is a loan deal,
09:07 but it's going to be a loan deal with an obligation to buy.
09:09 So we expect a kind of 5 million euro fee with an obligation to buy for 35 million euros.
09:15 Now, that is not really a lot of money when you consider what Flo Balogun did in France last season.
09:23 And of course, he's now a senior US national team international player.
09:27 So he really is, you know, got a lot of potential.
09:30 We know that he can potentially be a 60, 70, 80 million pound player in the future.
09:37 He's not there at the moment, but Arsenal do want a little bit more than that 35 to 40 million euro mark.
09:44 Inter, of course, and like many Serie A clubs, they don't have a large amount of finances despite selling players this summer.
09:53 I do feel that it's going to be a tough deal for them to do, but they're not going to give up.
09:58 They're going to try and sign Flo Balogun this summer.
10:01 But as things stand, I think it's one to wait until the end of the transfer window,
10:05 because I don't think Mikel Arteta has made his final decision yet on Balogun.
10:09 Balogun, of course, wants to play regular first team football.
10:13 Might find that difficult to get at Arsenal with the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli ahead of him, of course.
10:19 But if he has a good preseason, who knows?
10:22 And with Arsenal playing in the Champions League, he may have a better chance of playing regular first team football.
10:29 So let's wait and see on that one. But certainly one to watch, Inter and Flo Balogun.
10:35 And also we've got a Boston trustee, young defender, obviously not quite made an impact on the first team at the Emirates just yet.
10:42 I mean, have you got any sort of idea of what his long term future might hold?
10:46 Yeah, so trustee's a left sided centre back, can play at wing back as well.
10:51 Spent last season on loan at Birmingham. Really impressed there.
10:55 And again, he's another US international.
10:58 So just like Balogun, he is attracting interest from maybe a different level of club.
11:03 But Rangers are interested in signing him on a loan deal.
11:08 As far as we know, though, talks have stalled and that is according to reports in Scotland.
11:14 And I do feel that is one which may or may not happen at the moment.
11:18 But he's attracting a lot of interest, of course.
11:20 I think a loan deal will be good for him and his development.
11:24 But he's a player that Mikel Arteta does rate and he has given a chance to this preseason.
11:29 So again, one to wait and see on.
11:32 But Rangers are one of the teams who really do want to sign Austin trustee.
11:37 And of course, this young Charlie Patino, a player who was really highly rated and I assume still is at the Emirates,
11:43 you know, but someone who perhaps given the influx of midfield talent that Arsenal brought in,
11:48 given the fact that he was sent out on loan last season,
11:50 would he be someone who might struggle to sort of maintain a long term future at the Emirates now, do you think?
11:55 So it's our understanding that Charlie Patino is very close to leaving Arsenal.
12:00 Of course, the Hale End Academy graduate, lots of fans had big hopes for him,
12:04 but doesn't look like he's going to be given his opportunity under Mikel Arteta
12:09 just because of the amount of midfielders the club have.
12:13 Teams in Spain and Germany have expressed an interest in signing him.
12:17 And of course, he could be very soon on his way out.
12:20 That's the information that we have.
12:23 We'll wait and see to see which club it's going to be.
12:25 But Patino is edging closer to the exit door.
12:29 And that's our information.
12:31 And would that be a permanent deal? Obviously, we know that he was out on loan with Blackpool last season.
12:35 Do you see this being a sort of a fond farewell to Arsenal?
12:39 Yeah, I mean, there were talks that it could be a loan deal,
12:42 but Arsenal are prepared to sell him permanently.
12:46 There will, of course, be a buyback clause in any deal that Arsenal sanction,
12:51 because Arsenal do rate the player highly.
12:53 They know that he has a lot of potential.
12:55 So we do expect a buyback clause to be inserted into the deal,
12:59 and potentially a sell-on clause as well, which means Arsenal will benefit from any future sale of Charlie Patino.
13:06 So I think it's the right move for every party, of course.
13:10 I'm sure Patino would love to be a regular first team player at Arsenal,
13:14 but I think he's going to have to go elsewhere to get that regular game time.
13:17 And his development certainly makes sense.
13:20 But yeah, Patino very close now to leaving the club.
13:23 One more name for you, Omar Akiq, Tunisian international defender,
13:28 obviously a player with an immense amount of potential.
13:30 But again, is he another one who might have to seek football elsewhere if he's going to further his development?
13:36 Yeah, absolutely. I think Rekik is a really highly rated player, just like Patino.
13:42 Interestingly, he's a senior Tunisian international, so clearly he has a lot of potential there,
13:47 but he's not going to break into that Arsenal team any time soon.
13:51 Now, we understand that Birmingham are highly interested in signing Rekik,
13:57 and they are confident that they're going to sign him on loan very soon.
14:00 Season-long loan that would be.
14:02 Basel in Switzerland also express an interest,
14:06 hence why that Birmingham deal hasn't been completely finalised yet.
14:09 But it does look like he's going to be on his way to Birmingham.
14:13 We will update you, of course, with all the latest on London World and National World very soon.
14:18 But as it stands, Rekik will be another one going out on loan.
14:24 We've talked about the importance of balancing the books a little bit,
14:27 because Arsenal have spent big this summer, I think it's fair to say.
14:31 If we're looking at those names that we've mentioned there,
14:33 obviously Hussein Rekik more likely to be a loan deal, but Balaguer and trustee Patino,
14:38 if they were to leave on permanent deals, I mean, not to put you on the spot too much, Chris,
14:42 but how much would you expect Arsenal to be bringing in for those players?
14:47 Well, yeah, I think if they get rid of some of those players,
14:50 I think Nuno Tavares is another name that I didn't mention,
14:54 but he could potentially go for £10 to £12 million in the current market.
15:00 I think Charlie Patino's fee would be very low.
15:02 It would be under £2 million, something like that.
15:05 So not a huge amount when you consider his potential.
15:10 And then of course, Flo Balagun, if that move does happen,
15:13 that's going to be quite a lot of money that Arsenal will be able to recoup.
15:18 So yeah, I would say £50 to £60 million if all of their outgoings are completed this summer,
15:25 with Balagun clearly being the highest one.
15:28 Arsenal do want at least £40 plus million for him, plus bonuses.
15:33 So that's a big fee.
15:35 But I think that is really the big one that Nicolai Tetto will be looking at this summer.
15:40 Like I say, no decision made there yet,
15:42 and we'll have to wait and see what happens in terms of his future.
15:46 What are your thoughts on the Saudi club's potential move to Mikkel Arteta?
15:50 As always, Chris, we've had plenty of listener questions for you.
15:53 I'm going to pick out a few and just go through them now.
15:55 We'll start with one from Din.
15:56 He's asking whether or not one of the Saudi clubs could come in and potentially swoop for Mikkel Arteta.
16:01 You mentioned it before, plenty of interest, not just in players, but in managers,
16:05 Premier League managers this summer.
16:07 I mean, is Mikkel Arteta likely to be one of those at any point?
16:11 I'd be shocked if Mikkel Arteta goes to Saudi Arabia anytime soon.
16:16 I think the closest thing to Saudi that Mikkel Arteta will go to maybe one day is PSG.
16:21 Of course, they're owned by Saudi ownership.
16:24 And I do feel like that is a potential move for the future for Mikkel Arteta.
16:29 Not anytime soon, but maybe in a few years when he seeks a new challenge.
16:33 I don't think he's going to be at Arsenal for decades, like Arsene Wenger, of course,
16:38 but just purely for the fact that football has changed now.
16:41 But Mikkel Arteta is going to be a man in demand.
16:44 I'm sure the Saudi teams are inquiring and seeing if they can get a big name like Pep Guardiola,
16:50 like Mikkel Arteta.
16:51 I think that would be the dream for the Saudi league right now.
16:54 After they signed someone like Cristiano Ronaldo last season, they're surely going to be aiming
17:00 even higher for one of the top class managers.
17:02 But the chances of Mikkel Arteta leaving right now in the middle of his Arsenal project,
17:08 extremely low.
17:09 I'd be absolutely shocked if that happened.
17:11 I mean, just a small aside, but it really is testament to the quality of the job that
17:16 he's done in North London that we're talking about him in the same breath as Pep Guardiola.
17:20 You know, these real top, top tier managers.
17:22 Do you think he has sort of established himself now as one of the sort of preeminent managers
17:26 in world football?
17:28 I think so, yeah.
17:28 I think as well, you've got to give credit to the Arsenal ownership who have stood by
17:33 him during those difficult times when he had to manage those big egos, the likes of Aubameyang,
17:39 Mesut Ozil.
17:40 You know, he had some really tough times, especially as well.
17:44 He had COVID to deal with, like every single manager, of course, but he was a new manager
17:49 who just came in and had COVID to deal with.
17:52 I think that was even probably one of the biggest challenges he's had in his career
17:57 so far.
17:57 So yeah, I think you've got to say he's certainly in the same breath as the likes of Guardiola,
18:04 but he does need to win a major trophy like Pep Guardiola has just picked up some of the
18:10 biggest trophies that you can win.
18:11 He's just won the Champions League with Manchester City.
18:14 So of course, Mikel Cesar still has some work to do in terms of winning big trophies, but
18:21 I think he's on his way there tactically and in terms of what he does in terms of developing
18:27 players, I think he certainly can be mentioned in the same breath as Guardiola.
18:33 But he's still, like I say, got a bit of work to do before he's on the same level in terms
18:38 of Sampdoria.
18:39 We've got a question here from Haleas.
18:41 Obviously, we mentioned that Thomas Partey is likely to stay at the club now this summer
18:45 and they're asking, could you foresee a situation where Arteta potentially plays Partey alongside
18:51 Declan Rice and then say, I know, a Martin Odergaard in front of them, more of a defensively
18:55 minded midfield, if you like?
18:57 Yeah, I think Mikel Arteta mentioned that in the same press conference where he said
19:01 Thomas Partey is going to be staying.
19:04 I would say as well that Declan Rice, Partey and Odergaard does seem like a potential midfield.
19:10 In my eyes, the midfield with Kai Havertz and Rice and Odergaard didn't look particularly
19:18 strong against Man United.
19:21 Perhaps we don't need to take too much from that, but I do feel like Thomas Partey does
19:26 add a bit of solidity to that Arsenal midfield.
19:29 So, Mikel Arteta hasn't made any decision, any concrete decision yet on what his favoured
19:35 starting XI is going to be for next season, but I'm sure Thomas Partey is going to be
19:39 there or thereabouts, as we said earlier.
19:42 And again, it's something that we've mentioned before, isn't it?
19:44 But I guess it probably speaks to the flexibility in Declan Rice's ability.
19:48 He's not just a defensive player, is he?
19:50 We saw it increasingly during his time with West Ham where he is capable to step onto
19:55 the front foot.
19:56 Do you think there's the potential for his role to evolve during his time at Arsenal?
20:00 I think so, yeah.
20:01 We've seen, as you mentioned, Jason, I think his versatility is one of his key assets.
20:05 He's a box-to-box player as well as that defensive midfield player.
20:09 So, I think that is a bonus for Arsenal.
20:12 They have a player who can play in a number of positions.
20:15 And as I've said on almost every stream for the past few months, Mikel Arteta likes positionless
20:22 players.
20:22 He likes players who can play anywhere really on the pitch.
20:26 You've seen that with his defenders, with his inverted full-backs like Alexander Zinchenko
20:30 and now Uri Intimba.
20:32 You're going to see that with his midfielders.
20:34 Kai Havertz, he's not an out-and-out number eight, number six.
20:38 He can play all over the midfield really, perhaps not number six, but a bit further
20:44 forward as well.
20:45 And of course, even further up front.
20:48 So, I think there's a potential there for a lot of Arsenal players to really be playing
20:54 all over the pitch.
20:55 And that is really what Mikel Arteta likes because he likes to deploy a number of different
21:00 tactical systems depending on who Arsenal are playing, of course.
21:04 So, yeah, we'll have to wait and see what he does decide to do.
21:07 But I think Arsenal are in good position right now with the players that they have bought.
21:12 We've spoken a lot about midfielders on this episode, but we've got a question here from
21:16 Hafeez who's asking why Arsenal took the decision to let Granit Xhaka go.
21:21 Was it purely the fact that they just have so many bodies in the centre of the partner?
21:25 Well, as we reported towards the back end of last season, Granit Xhaka had already decided
21:30 that his time was up at Arsenal.
21:32 Of course, he was one of the longest serving players at the club and he wanted a new challenge.
21:38 So, he sat down with Mikel Arteta.
21:40 They both agreed that it was the right time to call an end to his time at the club.
21:45 And I think Arsenal, in the end, got a really good fee for Granit Xhaka.
21:50 £21.5 million.
21:51 Considering Xhaka is now in his 30s, I think it was a really good deal for all parties, really.
21:58 I think Bayer Leverkusen as well get a really good experienced midfielder and someone who
22:03 can really propel them up the Bundesliga table.
22:06 So, yeah, it was a deal which made sense for everyone.
22:09 But from Granit Xhaka's point of view, he was looking for a new challenge and it made
22:14 sense for everyone involved.
22:16 Potential incoming transfer, and I mean, you might dispel this instantly, but we've got
22:21 a question here from Choll.
22:22 He's asking how concrete the rumours are linking Arsenal with a potential move for Crystal
22:26 Palace's Mikel Alisse.
22:28 Now, he's obviously a man who's in demand.
22:29 We're hearing suggestions that Chelsea have already put in a bid for him.
22:33 Manchester City also being linked.
22:35 Are Arsenal likely to be in that race this summer?
22:37 That would be a tough deal for Arsenal to do.
22:39 He's certainly a player that they like.
22:41 Mikel Arteta would love a player like Michael Alisse in his team.
22:46 And there's long-term interest there.
22:48 He's a player they've been tracking for a long time.
22:50 And of course, it's easy to track a player when he's playing in the Premier League week
22:54 in, week out.
22:55 He's been one of the star men for Crystal Palace and even more so now Wilfrid Zaha has
23:00 gone to Galatasaray.
23:02 I do feel, though, that Chelsea and Manchester City will be ahead of Arsenal in the race
23:07 to sign Alisse.
23:08 And as we've already said, the Arsenal focus right now is on outgoings.
23:12 So players like following Balogun who could potentially leave and then the more kind of
23:18 fringe players like Nuno Tavares also could be on their way out.
23:23 I think that is going to be the focus right now.
23:24 But there is certainly interest in Michael Alisse and there's no surprise there really
23:30 because he's one of the top players in the Premier League right now.
23:33 That's all we've got time for on this week's show.
23:39 Join us again next week when we'll be discussing all the latest Arsenal news.
23:42 In the meantime, for all the latest sports news at www.nationalworld.com, check us out
23:48 on Facebook and Twitter @NationalWorld.
23:50 Thanks to Chris, thanks to you for listening.
23:53 This show was produced by Mark Wilson.