Five players Arsenal could target from the Premier League’s relegated sides

Matheus Pereira

Five players Arsenal could target from the Premier League’s relegated sides

By Oscar Maung-Haley

With Arsenal looking to find a route back to into the Premier League’s elite, here are five players they could target from the three relegated sides to help improve their fortunes.

Matheus Pereira


The first name on the list is perhaps the best of the bunch.

Matheus Pereira, 25, scored 11 Premier League goals for West Brom this season and perhaps the most impressive part about his haul is that he had never previously managed double-digit goals in his career, even when West Brom were in the Championship a season prior.

Alongside his goals, Pereira also registered six Premier League assists, giving him 17 goal contributions for the 2020-21 campaign.

For reference, that puts Pereira in the same conversation as Kevin De Bruyne (18) and Marcus Rashford (20) when it comes to combined goals and assists.

And after showing off his quality this season, the Brazilian is hardly likely to want to stick around at the Hawthorns in the Championship next term.

Comfortable operating as an attacking midfielder or a right winger, Pereira would offer give Arsenal some added versatility in their attacking options.


André-Frank Zambo Anguissa


While Fulham may have had yet another disappointing Premier League season this year, one player who stood out was André-Frank Zambo Anguissa.

The Cameroonian international has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs since Fulham were relegated, with Arsenal, Everton and Lazio all being mooted destinations.

A very capable dribbler, Anguissa operated at the heart of Fulham’s midfield, offering ball carrying and ball winning aplenty.

Given Arsenal’s relatively lack of depth in the middle of the park, Anguissa could prove to be quite a shrewd acquisition for the Gunners.

While there could be a slight stumbling block with the transfer fee, with Fulham unlikely to want to lose Anguissa for less than the £25m they paid, the impact of the pandemic coupled with relegation might force their hand.


Sander Berge


Sander Berge

Sheffield United’s Sander Berge is the next name on the list.

While Berge didn’t exactly perform as well as the Blades would have hoped, he does possess traits and abilities that Arsenal’s current crop of midfielder’s don’t possess.

A rangy midfielder at 6ft 5in, Berge is comfortable operating either in a holding role or as a box-to-box engine-roomer.

And while he would give Arsenal another option in the middle of the park, there is a stumbling block here with the Norwegian said to have a release fee clause of £35m

Given Berge’s inability to produce consistently for Sheffield United, albeit he was hampered by some nasty injuries that left him sidelined for months, it might be more financially prudent for Arsenal to focus their interests elsewhere.


Tosin Adarabioyo


Tosin Adarabioyo would be an incredibly shrewd piece of business should Arsenal look to secure his services.
The 23-year-old, who is said to have a buy-out clause of just £10m, stood out in a poor Fulham team.
At 6ft 5in, the English centre-half is an imposing presence who grew into the campaign as the season went on.
Comfortable with the ball at his feet, he started 33 times for Fulham this season, recording more clearances than any other Premier League player with 193.
An added wrinkle is the fact that Adarabioyo was a Manchester City player during the time that Mikel Arteta was Pep Guardiola’s assistant at the Etihad, so presumably the Gunners boss is familiar with the defender.
And with William Saliba out of favour with Arteta, and David Luiz’s release, Arsenal could do much worse than signing Adarabioyo at a cut-price rate.

Sam Johnstone


While Arsenal may not want to invite another goalkeeping struggle between first-choice and back-up in the wake of Emi Martinez’ departure, they could certainly do with a decent number two option.
While Bernd Leno is the clear first choice for Arteta, Alex Runarsson hardly promotes confidence between the sticks should the former get injured.
Sam Johnstone would almost definitely be an upgrade on Runarsson as, despite being relegated this season with West Brom, the 28-year-old was named both the Supporter’s Player of the Year and the Player’s Player of the Year, emphasising how impressive his performances were in a poor team.
The decision to give him those awards highlights how well Johnstone played despite the Baggies' struggles.
But given that he made his England debut and performed well this season, Johnstone might want regular first-team action, rather than sitting on the bench. 


Photo credit: Getty Images

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