A report from The Sun has credited Arsenal and Liverpool with showing interest in RB Leipzig midfielder Emil Forsberg this summer. The report further claims that the player has hinted at quitting the German club, meaning this could be a great opportunity for the Gunners to pursue a move for the Swede.
Now, both the Premier League clubs would offer Forsberg a new challenge and can take his career to the next level. But between Liverpool and Arsenal, which club should Forsberg join?
Forsberg is an attack-oriented midfielder by trade but he is incredibly versatile as well. Over the course of the previous term, he was predominantly deployed in the No.10 role but there were instances where he played a little deeper.
If needed, he can also play as a winger on the right side, making him quite an attractive option for both Arsenal and Liverpool. The 26-year-old chipped in with 5 goals and 4 assists in all competitions last season, and according to Squawka, he created a total of 39 chances in 21 Bundesliga games.
As far as Arsenal are concerned, they have already signed goalkeeper Bernd Leno and right-back Stephan Lichtensteiner from Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus respectively so far. But it goes without saying that they need reinforcements in other areas as well. However, do they really need another creative player in their squad?
As things stand, they already have the likes of Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Aaron Ramsey and Alex Iwobi in their squad. That said, Jack Wilshere’s exit will create a void in the middle of the park, and perhaps Forsberg could come in handy.
On the other hand, Liverpool could truly make use of a creative midfielder. Their efforts to land Nabil Fekir have reached a dead-end, and ever since Philippe Coutinho left to join Barcelona in January, Jurgen Klopp’s men have lacked a creative outlet.
To be fair, Liverpool worked wonders without him and ended the season as the runners-up in the Champions League. But going forward, a player of Forsberg’s calibre could come in handy for the Reds. The player was a revelation in the 2016/17 season, where he scored eight goals and provided 22 assists in 30 Bundesliga games, and he would do well under the Klopp’s guidance at Anfield.
Thus, perhaps it would be better for Liverpool to sign him ahead of Arsenal. Having already signed Naby Keita, a deal for his former RB Leipzig teammate Forsberg could be beneficial for the Merseyside giants.
The Gunners don’t lack creative players right now. In fact, they have a plethora of such players at their disposal. Instead of signing yet another player of the same mould, new Arsenal boss Unai Emery would be wise to invest his funds elsewhere.
The Merseysiders, on the other hand, could make a move for Forsberg now, since their attempts to sign Fekir have clearly not yielded positive results.