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Transfers
Arsenal told £17m ace is ‘perfect’ January signing as Tottenham eye ‘phenomenal’ talent
During the Mikel Arteta tenure, the left-back spot at Premier League giants Arsenal has always felt a little up in the air.
𝓰Kieran Tierney looked to have the role nailed down before the injuries struck and before Arteta’s shift towards a more inverted full-back system, one inspired by his mentor Pep Guardiola. Oleksandr Zinchenko was a regular for a couple of seasons before slipping down the pecking order.
Jakub Kiwior has struggled, really, since his £20 million move from Spezia. TBR understands that Kiwior is keen to return to Italy𒈔 in the New Year. This season, meanwhile, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber have shared left-back duties at times, while teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly started there in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Everton.
TBR, meanwhile, have been told that ⛦Arsenal are watching Club Brugge’s Maxim de Cuyper ahead of the January transfer window.
ไDe Cuyper also has admirers at Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and a Manchester City side who fielded Matheus Nunes on the left-back in Sunday’s derby defeat by Man United amid Pep Guardiola’s ongoing injury crisis.
Arsenal urged to sign Club Brugge’s Maxim de Cuyper
൲De Cuyper, though he has played on the right quite a few times over the years, is a more natural left-sided full-back than the likes of Timber and Zinchenko. He is reportedly valued at an affordable £17 million, too.
♚Former Genk, Gent and Anderlecht coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck, meanwhile, feels that De Cyuper’s exceptional deliveries from wide areas and set-pieces would increase Arsenal’s already formidable dead-ball threat.
♔De Cuyper provided 15 assists in the 2023/24 campaign. He also scored with a stunning strike against Italy in the UEFA Nations League back in October.
🐻“The combinations with [Christos] Tzolis, [Hans] Vanaken and De Cuyper are sometimes wonderful to watch,” Vanhaezebrouck tells . “And, of course, [De Cuyper] has his fantastic kicking technique.
🦂“His crosses are increasingly reminiscent of how [Belgian legend] Frank Vercauteren whipped balls in front of goal. His corners are phenomenal.
ꩵ“Arsenal has a patent on corners at the far post. If Arsenal are looking for a left-back who can fire the ball there hard, then De Cuyper is the perfect person.”
De Cuyper’s agent confrms interest from Italy amid AC Milan links
🌱De Cuyper, still only 23 and capped six times by the Belgian national team, is not only adept in the final third. Vanhaezebrouck feels he showcased his often underrated defensive talents during the recent 1-1 Champions League draw with Celtic.
ಌ“De Cuyper has already improved defensively,” Vanhaezebrouck adds. “Against Celtic, he won the most duels of the entire field.
🧸Maxim de Cuyper’s agent knows the ‘next step’ is approaching🦂 in his client’s career. Interestingly, he mentioned Serie A rather than the Premier League when asked about a potential transfer a few months back, with AC Milan reportedly interested.
ꦅ“A player like Maxim attracts a lot of interest. Without a doubt, also in Italy,” explains Axel Vergeylen.
⛎“For obvious reasons, I can’t go into the names of the interested clubs. But Serie A is certainly a big league.
꧑“He has to go step by step. At the moment, that is at Club Brugge. And, at the right moment, he has to take the next step in his career,” Vergeylen adds. “The only goal is to reach as high as possible and play for the best possible club.”