Arsenal have reportedly contacted Layvin Kurzawa’s representatives to discuss about a move to the Emirates in the summer, according to the French outlet ‘RMC’(via Calciomercato).

The Gunners defensive frailties are well documented and Sven Mislintat is looking to reinforce Arsenal’s inconsistent defence with at least one, possibly two, new additions.

With Nacho Monreal’s long-term future at the club in question and reservations regarding Sead Kolasinac’s defensive abilities, the addition of the French Left Back may go some way to stabilising the fragile defence.

Injuries and retirement have reduced the available options further but it’s said that a major overhaul is planned in a number of areas, not just in defence. Tottenham and Chelsea tried and failed to sign French International Kurzawa in the January transfer window but are still thought to be interested.

Kurzawa(26) formerly of Monaco, has been told he’s free to leave the club in the upcoming window by the PSG for a fee upward of €25 million and the defender feels he’s future is in England. He is one of a number of defenders that are of interest to the north London club as they start the rebuilding process and announcements may follow after a manager is appointed.

The Gunners may have to act more decisively than that or run the risk of missing out on their targets, partly due to the added complication presented by the World Cup.

Wenger departed with quite possibly the worst defence of his entire reign and no matter how much he swapped personnel or varied the combinations, results were less than impressive.

These weaknesses have been evident for at least the last three or four seasons but have got progressively worse, culminating in the near embarrassment of not winning a single away game in 2018, until they beat Huddersfield by a solitary goal in Wenger’s last game.

With the club still unclear on the choice of its new head coach, the responsibility for adding to the squad will fall on Head of Recruitment Sven Mislintat.

Julian Nagelsmann has been a revelation for 1899 Hoffenheim, taking the club out of relegation battle when he first joined to finishing 3rd in the Bundesliga this season. Being only 30, he is currently the youngest manager in the German league and his fresh managerial style has been sought after by teams across Europe.

Since Arsene Wenger’s emotional departure, the German manager has been heavily linked with a possible move to the Gunners but now it seems he is ruled out as an option.

The director of football at 1899 Hoffenheim, Alexander Rosen, said in an interview: “Julian Nagelsmann will be our coach next season, 100 percent.”

This seems to be fairly concrete evidence that the young manager will not be moving to London any time soon.

The young manager moving to Arsenal had been reported as very possible and he has been considered one of the front-runners for the job until now.

The possibility of Max Allegri taking Arsene Wenger’s position has been ruled out by the manager himself. In a statement tweeted by Fabrizio Romano he stated “I’ll be at Juventus next year, if they don’t sack me…” and given his success in winning the domestic double of the Coppa Italia and the Serie A title four times in a row the Italian manager has effectively told us he will be staying with Juventus.

With both Allegri and Nagelsmann dropping out off the race for the top spot at Arsenal it looks as if Mikel Arteta is almost definitely going to be the new Arsenal manager.

Considering his wealth of experience in the Premier League and his technical understanding of what it means to be a player and more recently a coach in the Premier League, the Spaniard may be more prepared for the job than many fans think.

I hold the belief that after 22 years of Arsene Wenger holding the reins at Arsenal the team may need a radical change, as recent form has shown. Mikel Arteta is a risky choice as a manager given his lack of experience, but maybe a risk is just what Arsenal need.

The search for a new Arsenal manager has been filled with suspense and uncertainty. Replacing Arsene Wenger is a near impossible feat yet it seems as if the search may be over.

The Express reports that Bookmakers have suspended all betting on who will become the new Arsenal manager among reports that an agreement has already been reached with ex-Arsenal player, Mikel Arteta.

Alan Alger, a representative for Betway said: “After heightened betting activity this morning, running in line with reports that a deal is close, we’ve been forced to suspend betting on Mikel Arteta taking over as the Arsenal manager.”

This comes after Max Allegri ruled himself out of the job by saying “I’ll be at Juventus next year, if they don’t sack me…” after winning the domestic double yet again with the Italian giants.

Julian Nagelsmann was also one of the front-runners for the job, but in a statement by Alexander Rosen, the director of football at the manager’s club, 1899 Hoffenheim, he confirmed the young manager’s future, saying “Julian Nagelsmann will be our coach next season, 100 per cent.” This almost completely shuts down fan’s hope that the North London club will sign the innovative manager.

After various managers who were on the unofficial shortlist being ruled out for different reasons it leaves Mikel Arteta as the prime target for succeeding Arsene Wenger.

The independent wrote that the  “He is a modern head coach who has that connection, whose popularity should allow fans to rally around him once the season starts.”

Many fans are concerned about the 36 year old’s lack of experience having never managed a professional team but in my opinion, after 22 years of Arsene Wenger, Arsenal need a radical change. Mikel Arteta is that change.

Jean-Michael Seri has been known to many Premier League scouts for several seasons, but now it looks as if Arsenal are leading the race to sign the Ivorian midfielder, ahead of Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.

The 26-year-old central midfielder has been known to many fans for his remarkable ball control and creative style of play.

Making 42 appearances for the French side Nice this season, Seri has been an integral part of the team’s midfield, occasionally playing as a defensive midfielder but still scoring twice and creating 6 assists.

The player’s performance has not gone unnoticed, with reported interest from Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. With this hot race for the player’s signature, it will be hard for the Arsenal to attract the player given the player will want to play Champions League football next season.

Supposedly, the Gunner’s ‘secret weapon’ in signing the player is the new Head of Football Relations at the club, Raul Sanllehi. Sanllehi is reportedly very close with Seri’s agent after being very close to having the Midfielder sign for his previous club Barcelona according to the Mirror.

Sanllehi’s main job at the Catalan giants was to help agents and players in their discussions with the club. This has resulted in a close relationship between the player’s agent and the Arsenal’s new head of football relations. This news comes among the intense search for Arsenal’s new manager following the resignation of Arsene Wenger.

Given the current lack of manager at the North London club, it is unlikely negotiations will see much progression before a new boss is in charge at the club. We are still yet to know any concrete evidence of the many managers who could take the job, but the current favourites are Mikel Arteta, Julian Nagelsmann, Patrick Vieira and Luis Enrique after Max Allegri confirmed he will stay at Juventus next season.