Former Arsenal hero Alex Hleb is backing Monaco and Russia star Aleksandr Golovin to follow in his Premier League footsteps with The Gunners an ideal destination for the stylish attacking midfielder.
Hleb is well placed to give such an opinion, given that the Belarusian legend – who played his best football on the red half of North London – shared many of the attributes that have seen Aleksandr Golovin emerge as one of the most effective playmakers in European football over the last 12 months or so.
Golovin, who joined Monaco from CSKA Moscow after the 2018 Russian World Cup, has always had talent. The £26 million man is adding serious end-product and some much-needed consistency to his game these days, however, with Hleb not the first to suggest that Arsenal could be a sensible destination for a player coming into his prime at 27.
Aleksandr Golovin tipped for Arsenal
“I know that Aleksandr has become one of the leaders of Monaco and plays good football. I liked him before; fast, creative, sees the field well,” Hleb, a Champions League runner-up alongside Arsene Wenger in 2006, tells Championat.
“Every footballer wants to reach a higher level. I think that Aleksandr himself will decide where to move.
“If you want to grow, you must move forward. Monaco are a good European team, but they are not at the top. If there are offers from top clubs, then it’s time to move on and set higher goals for yourself. But you need to approach this wisely; go where the system suits your style.
“We need a team that plays beautiful combination football. And the main thing is that the coach wants to see you on the team and trusts you. We need to weigh up everything.
“Golovin would fit well into these teams, Barca and Arsenal football suits him.”
Newcastle missed out on Monaco ace
Golovin, who’s agent confirmed interest from Newcastle United, West Ham and Everton in previous transfer windows, has five goals and seven assists for Monaco this term.
There is, however, no obvious place in Arteta’s squad for a player of his skill-set at the moment, with Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Emile Smith Rowe all options for one of the central attacking midfield roles.
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