Former BBC Journalist David Ornstein has spoken out on reports linking Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho with a move to Arsenal.
On Monday, Le10 Sport claimed that the North London club were reportedly set to initiate talks with Philippe Coutinho’s agent in a bid to sign him this summer.
In the latest edition of his ‘Ornstein & Chapman podcast’ for The Athletic, David Ornstein revealed that he didn’t hear anything about the Coutinho to Arsenal story. He said:
“I have no information on this. I don’t know anything about it. So if it is happening, it’s beyond my knowledge.
“That’s not to say it isn’t. It’s just that I don’t know anything about it if it is.
“We do know the links, which are apparent, between Arsenal’s Raul Sanllehi, their technical director Edu, and Coutinho’s agent Kia Joorabchian.
“We’ve seen a number of deals already done between those parties, and that’s, in part, I’m sure, why the links have arisen.”
He was also queried regarding Saliba’s situation, Ornstein said that a number of factors could impact the arrival of the young defender which also included the quarantine regulations in place in the UK.
Here is the podcast, skip to 43:30 minutes in for the Arsenal updates.
Coutinho has been spending the season on loan at Bayern Munich but they are not willing to make the move permanent. Despite scoring 8 goals in the Bundesliga this season, the midfielder could be on his way out of Germany and back to the Premier League.
Ornstein also states that this news could be the result of his representatives using the media to push this story. The Brazilian agent Kia Joorabchian already has links to North London in the form of his clients David Luiz and Cedric Soares who play for Arsenal now.
If Coutinho was to become an Arsenal player, it would give the attack a facelift as he is an attacking midfielder capable of finding the back of the net. He would fit into the formation that manager Arteta likes to play. The relationship that the club shares with his representatives could be the key.
Coming to Saliba, he was signed by Arsenal last summer but was sent back to his club Saint-Etienne to spend another season on loan. But with the French football league done and dusted due to the Coronavirus pandemic, he might return to England.
Saliba is a highly regarded young center back and it is to the Gunners’ credit that they were able to snap him up at such a young age before other clubs could get their hands on him.
