Arsenal could do four exciting deals if Mikel Arteta gets ‘first choice’ transfer chief

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta would reportedly favour Roberto Olabe out of the candidates to replace Edu as sporting director at the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta and Edu had been side by side since 2019 before the Brazilian transfer chief handed in his resignation last month. The likes of Dan Ashworth and Jason Ayto are in the frame to step in on a permanent basis, but The Daily Mail claim that Arteta wants Olabe, who is stepping down from a long stint with Real Sociedad at the end of the current campaign.

If the Gunners boss gets what he wants, the chances of him nabbing a number of Sociedad’s top players will naturally increase. Here, Express Sport takes you through four potential targets Arsenal could look at…

Martin Zubimendi

Arsenal are not the only Premier League club wise to Zubimendi’s talent. The silky central midfielder is also on Liverpool’s radar, and a battle for his signature could kick off this coming summer as he reportedly has a £49.5million release clause in his Sociedad contract.

Not only would signing Zubimendi stop bitter rivals Liverpool getting hold of him, it would also provide Arteta with a different profile of midfielder, and a player capable of linking up seamlessly with former team-mate Mikel Merino.

Brais Mendez

With Martin Odegaard establishing himself as Arteta’s most important player, Arsenal are certainly not found wanting for a new starter in attacking midfield. But a back-up option may be required if Fabio Vieira leaves permanently over the next 12 months.

The Portuguese has failed to settle in the Premier League, and he is expected to be sold once his loan stint at FC Porto is up. Though there have been no links between Mendez and Arsenal, he fits the bill as a player to bolster Arteta’s forward-thinking midfield options.

He notched 11 La Liga goal contributions last season and 12 the campaign before. And at 6ft 2in, Mendez brings the height that would make Arsenal even more dangerous from set-pieces.

Arsen Zakharyan

The Russian has been injured since August and he did not pull up any trees during his first season in Spain. But he was highly rated at Dynamo Moscow and once compared to Kevin De Bruyne.

This could therefore be an opportune moment to pursue a serious prospect for a discounted price. Still only 21 years old, Zakharyan is an attacking midfielder by trade, and Olabe is in a better position than most to judge whether he or Mendez would best fit Arsenal’s needs.

Takefusa Kubo

The issue of back-up for Bukayo Saka is scarcely thought of, because Arsenal’s right-winger is virtually always available. Left-footer Takefusa Kubo, 23, is an electric winger who, granted, is better on the right, but he can also play on the opposite flank.

Reinforcements out wide may be needed if Raheem Sterling heads back to Chelsea at the end of the season. And Arsenal, with Olabe upstairs, may be tempted by former Real Madrid man Kubo for the simple reason that he has a higher ceiling than the vast majority of Sociedad’s squad.