Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford continues to be linked with a shock summer transfer to Arsenal.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has reportedly held personal talks with Rashford over a switch to the Emirates Stadium, with the Spaniard reportedly a “driving force” behind the possible deal.
Arsenal want to recruit both a centre-forward and out wide, which are roles the England international can play.
READ MORE: What are Arsenal’s summer transfer plans? Arteta’s blueprint for Premier League glory revealed
FootballTransfers, though, has exclusively revealed that in the No.9 role Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig is the preferred option while on the wing Athletic Club’s Nico Williams has emerged as a leading candidate.
Rashford would represent a greater gamble than either of the aforementioned players, and though he has the Premier League experience that Arteta craves of his signings, he is coming off a lamentable season in which he scored only eight goals in 43 games.
Indeed, the 26-year-old was often criticised for his attitude and it would take all of Arteta’s famous man management skills to get him back to his best.
READ MORE: Man Utd’s first summer signing: Ratcliffe closing in on cut-price star
If the Arsenal manager is willing to forget Rashford’s difficult campaign, Gunners fans are much less likely to be forgiving if he repeats the lacklustre effort he showed for much of the season with Man Utd.
After all, superior players to the England man have failed to win over the Emirates crowd. Mesut Ozil, Mark Overmars and Andrey Arshavin have all bore the brunt of the Gooners’ rage when lazy, Theo Walcott was criticised for hiding and even the club’s biggest legends like Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry were barracked by match-going fans when they failed to perform.
Rashford, meanwhile, has been stroppy and lazy on the field at Man Utd this season and undisciplined off it. And this is the club he is supposed to live and breathe.
It does not take a logical leap to suggest his attitude would slide further at a team he has no particular affection for.
The Havertz example
Some might point to the much-criticised signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea last summer as justification for this deal, yet there are crucial differences.
Havertz already has many of the attributes that Arteta most values in a player: intelligence, work ethic and versatility. Even when off form, these do not disappear. His industry is unparalleled.
Rashford without effort, meanwhile, offers none of these things and Arsenal fans simply wouldn’t stand for it. His career is already on a downward spiral, and this could accelerate uncontrollably with this move.
