Report: Arsenal Lose Julian Alvarez Alternative to Stunning Premier League Hijack

Mikel Arteta has also reportedly sanctioned the exit of another forward.

Julián Alvarez is about as glum as Arsenal’s recruitment team. | Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press/Getty Images

Arsenal have reportedly seen Malick Fofana whisked away, although it’s not quite clear whether Sunderland or Crystal Palace will snag the Gunners’ briefly floated alternative to Julián Alvarez.

Fofana had emerged as a figure of interest for the scrambling Gunners on Monday night. Yet, while Mikel Arteta’s side were wrestling their way to a 1–0 win over Aston Villa, their Premier League rivals were pounding the phones.

It was first revealed by The Athletic that an agreement between Sunderland and Lyon worth $34.8 million (£25.7 million, €30 million) had been struck. That sum represents something of a coup in this inflated market, which is perhaps why Crystal Palace were also willing to match that fee, per L’Équipe.

Malick Fofana was briefly tipped to be going to Arsenal. | Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

It remains to be seen which Premier League side will win the race for Fofana’s signature, but it has been widely accepted that it won’t be Arsenal, despite their need for a new forward.

There has been a great deal of intrigue surrounding Alvarez’s future. Once the Argentina international made it publicly and abundantly apparent that he wanted to leave Madrid and join Barcelona, Atlético made it even clearer that such a transaction would never be entertained. As Mikel Arteta supposedly discovered after a conversation with Alvarez himself, Arsenal was never an attractive destination.

Despite all the negative noise, the Gunners appear to have been caught short in their pursuit of alternative forwards. The Brazilian Gabriels of Martinelli and Jesus are being sold in a summer which, so far, has only seen Christos Tzolis replace the outgoing Leandro Trossard.

Arsenal were hardly blessed with a wealth of attacking riches last season—their tally of 71 goals is the fewest scored by any Premier League champion since Leicester City’s fairytale run more than a decade ago.

Arteta is now forced to pivot once more to try and strengthen a frontline which has been weakened even further.

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Arsenal ‘Agree’ Ethan Nwaneri Loan Exit

Ethan Nwaneri is set for another loan spell. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Ethan Nwaneri’s name can be added to the exodus of Arsenal forwards this summer. The talented academy graduate has tumbled down Arteta’s pecking order and was forced to secure a loan deal to Marseille last January just to provide himself with some minutes. The prompt exit of Roberto De Zerbi—whose status as manager had been a major factor in Arsenal’s choice of Marseille for Nwaneri—derailed that temporary spell.

Even with the dwindling number of attack-minded players at his disposal, Arteta still has no place for Nwaneri. BBC Sport report that a loan deal to Borussia Dortmund has been agreed after interest from a number of Premier League clubs were rebuffed.

Dortmund have a reputation as one of Europe’s great finishing schools. Nwaneri’s compatriots Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho, not to mention Erling Haaland, all benefited immensely from regularly playing for a Champions League club with a formidable atmosphere in a competitive division.

Nwaneri’s route into the starting XI has been inadvertently boosted by the devastating ACL injury suffered by Dortmund’s young Greek star Giannis Konstantelias, whose brilliant start to life in the Ruhr region was cruelly cut short on his debut.

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