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Arsenal showing active interest in Spanish starlet Fresneda

By Ritayan Chatterjee on December 23, 2022

Arsenal are reportedly showing active interest in signing Real Valladolid fullback Iván Fresneda in January, as per the Italian outlet Calciomercato.

The 18-year-old made his senior first-team debut for the Spanish side last January before featuring regularly under Pacheta in La Liga this term just ahead of the World Cup break. He made six appearances so far this term in the league, keeping a solitary clean sheet.

According to the report by Calciomercato, Arsenal are showing concrete intentions to sign Fresneda this winter. However, they are expected to face competition from fellow Premier League rival Newcastle United and Serie A giants Juventus.

The report further claims that Valladolid are open to letting the youngster leave this January, but only on a permanent basis. They want a fee of around £17m to sell the right-back this winter.

Ivan Fresneda to Arsenal

The fullback is excellent with the ball, can dribble past the opposition defenders in tight areas, has the ability to play threading passes between the lines and is very good at defending in one-on-one situations. The youngster possesses an abundance of talent and he has high potential. Therefore, Fresneda would be a great acquisition for Arsenal.

With Cedric Soares looking likely to leave the club in the upcoming transfer window, replacing the Portuguese with a young right-back would certainly be a wise decision by the club’s hierarchy.

However, it has widely been touted that the Gunners are looking to reinforce their midfield department and the forward line this January in order to boost their title charge after the new year. So, adding a new fullback might not be high on Arteta’s wishlist next month.

Spending a big chunk of their transfer budget to add more options at right-back – where they already have enough cover – might not be what the Spanish boss should be considering doing this January.

Arsenal should purchase all of their priority targets and strengthen the engine room and the attack this winter before switching their focus to bolstering other areas of the squad.

So, it will be interesting to see whether Arsenal will make a move to sign Fresneda this January. The 18-year-old will likely be changing clubs next month and the Gunners could take advantage of this situation and sign a highly talented player like him. But not before adding more options to the midfield and the forward department.