Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Joachim Andersen.
According to The Mirror, £20 million-rated Andersen, on loan at Fulham from Lyon, is on Edu’s radar this summer as Arsenal look to bolster their centre-back options.
And if they do wind up signing him, it’ll be a case of second-time lucky for the Gunners.
That’s because the 24-year-old was previously on Arsenal’s shopping list in 2019 when Raul Sanllehi was calling the shots in North London – and he turned them down.
Asked by Foot Mercato if he regretted turning down a switch to the Emirates Stadium, Andersen said two years ago: “There were some good clubs, but Lyon was the best choice for me. I wanted to develop as a player, to play in the Champions League, to be in a top team fighting for the title and Lyon was the best solution.”
Going by those comments, it seems like Champions League football was a big deciding factor in Andersen’s decision to snub Arsenal.
Interestingly, Mikel Arteta’s side are potentially three games from returning to Europe’s elite competition, being in the semi-final of the Europa League, and their hopes of signing the Denmark international may just hinge on whether or not they go all the way.
It’s also worth pointing out that there’s a different behind-the-scenes team at the Emirates now.
When Andersen said no, Unai Emery was head coach and Sanllehi was still head of football, but Arteta and Edu represent a different regime and it’ll be interesting to see if that too makes a difference.
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