Arsenal eyeing one of the wildest transfer gambles of the window

Arsenal were one of the most aggressive teams in the summer 2023 transfer window, outbidding Manchester City to land star midfielder Declan Rice and then landing another crucial contributor from rivals Chelsea in Kai Havertz.

This summer, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal are relaying the message that they will have to be more cautious with the moves they make, and that fact has been backed up by their lack of movement to this point in the window.

Yet that hasn’t stopped them from being linked to some big moves, as Arsenal are reportedly interested in Atletico Madrid loanee Joao Felix.

Felix clashed heads with Diego Simeone and clearly has no future with Atletico Madrid, which is why they loaned him to Barcelona this past season.

After a mixed bag of a season in Barcelona, Felix’s future is totally up in the air. Before his loan to Barca, Felix spent a half-season with Chelsea, where he did a whole lot of nothing and only reaffirmed his status as one of world football’s most disappointing talents.

Since Felix missed the crucial penalty for Portugal at Euro 2024, the playmaker’s stock is at a low, and that could actually be a good thing for Arsenal.

Felix is only appealing on some level to a team wiling to sign him to a loan deal with an inexpensive option to buy. Atletico have been trying to drive a hard bargain with Barcelona, and no club wants to spend big money on a player as inconsistent as Felix.

Arsenal going for Felix, whose reputation for lazy defending precedes him, would be one of the shock moves of the summer transfer window, since Arteta is about as likely to stand for nonsense as Simeone.

However, perhaps a high-achieving, disciplined, yet exciting young team like Arsenal could be the environment that Felix finally busts out of his shell at the still young age of 24.