Ex-Arsenal captain William Gallas urges club to sign England Euro 2024 hero Ollie Watkins as Arteta leads race for former Newcastle hero

Former Arsenal captain William Gallas believes that England star Ollie Watkins would be the perfect player to sign to solve the club’s striker conundrum.

The Aston Villa forward, who recorded 19 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League last term, was England’s hero in the Euro 2024 semi-final against Netherlands as he stepped up from the bench to decide the game with an excellent strike from a challenging angle inside the penalty area.

Watkins is renowned for his exceptional pace and his ability to stretch defences as he proved for the Three Lions last time out and for Aston Villa throughout last season as they earned a place in the Champions League group stage for the first time since 1983.

The 28-year-old has enjoyed a rapid trajectory over the last nine years since making his debut for Weston Super Mare aged 19 in the Conference South and has now shone for the likes of Exeter City, Brentford, Aston Villa and England.

“For Arsenal, I like Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.” Gallas told Lord Ping. “He has the pace you need to have as a striker and with a player like Martin Odegaard in behind him it would just be magnificent, think of all the assists. It’s so difficult to defend against players like Ollie Watkins because he’s so clever with his runs, with Odegaard they would do so much damage. If I was at Arsenal I’d choose him.”

Arsenal finished second in the title race last season after a close-fought battle with Manchester City and many fans felt that their Achilles heel was the lack of a proven centre forward within the team. Last summer’s signing Kai Havertz played his part as a makeshift forward by scoring 13 league goals, but the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah managed just nine goals between them in the top-flight last term.

Arsenal in pole position to sign former Newcastle star

Arsenal are in the market to bolster their central midfield options and are believed to be in pole position to sign former Newcastle United midfielder Mikel Merino, according to reports from FourFourTwo.

Merino started his career at Osasuna in Spain’s second division and had a brief spell in Germany with Borussia Dortmund. 

However, it was his move to Newcastle under Rafael Benitez that really put him on the map as he emerged as a standout player during a loan move in August 2016 which was swiftly made permanent the following January. Merino made a total of 24 appearances in his sole season at St James’ Park and was praised for the combative role that he played in the midfield as the club avoided relegation.

After just 12 months, he became homesick in the north east and sought a move back to Spain where he has become a club icon at Real Sociedad, making 190 league appearances in six seasons and helping the team to a historic Copa del Rey triumph in 2020.

Merino’s form has earned him 27 caps for a hugely talented Spain team and he played a role in his nation’s road to the Euro 2024 final by scoring a decisive winner off the bench against Germany in the quarter-final. The 28-year-old is renowned for his leadership and exuberance in the midfield and could form a key partnership with Declan Rice if a move to North London were to take place.