Silvestre urges Arsenal to make competitive signings

With EURO 2024 done and dusted, it’s now time to start looking at club football again. The Premier League returns in about a month’s time and teams have started reinforcing for the season to come.

We spoke with Mikael Silvestre who shared his thoughts on Manchester United and Arsenal’s transfer activity.

Leroy Sane and Mikel Merino will provide competition – Arsenal would do well to sign them

The Gunners are closing in on a defensive signing in the form of Riccardo Calafiori and are then expected to reinforce midfield and attack. Mikel Merino and Leroy Sane are names linked in those positions and Silvestre sees them as quality additions that can help Arsenal bridge the gap with Manchester City.

“Sane will bring quality and competition for Martinelli and Saka. They have a lot of competitions this season so they need quality to close the gap. He’s a quality player.” 

“Mikel Merino is another profile that would suit Arsenal and the style of play. There’s room in the midfield but the places are tough to get with Ødegaard, Rice, Jorginho, Havertz and Partey so it’s not easy but they need competition to close the gap.”

Joshua Zirkzee will be a focal point and Dani Olmo’s versatility can help Man Utd

The Red Devils announced that they signed Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and Silvestre sees the similarities between him and Rasmus Højlund and the qualities they bring to the team.

“Zirkzee and Højlund are similar and they fit in the manager’s requirements of a striker. Both are mobile, capable of being a focal point, energy, dynamic and ready to press.”

He also endorses Man Utd moving for Dani Olmo, who was one of the best performers at EURO 2024. The former French international sees his versatility as a blessing for ten Hag’s side.

“He’s young, he’s got versatility as he can play left, right, centre and offer a lot of options for United.” 

Praise for Kobbie Mainoo

Silvestre also shared positive words for Kobbie Mainoo who was one of England’s better performers at EURO 2024.

The four-time Premier League winner praised Mainoo’s contribution for club and country and sees him adding more goals to his repertoire.

“Mainoo has been doing very well given the small amount of time he’s been in the first team and he’s brought a lot of positives in possession and his decision making. He scores goals and he will keep trying to improve.” 

Safer Gambling

At bettingexpert, we always take a safe approach to gambling. We’ll never bet more than we can afford or chase losses. For more advice, head to our Safer Gambling hub.