Mikel Arteta’s substitution against Everton on Monday evening almost felt like he was sending a message to Edu that Arsenal are in desperate need of a winger.
The Gunners' boss subbed on Eddie Nketiah in the second half to play on the wing, despite his natural position as a striker.
Nicolas Pepe was on the bench but was deemed to be surplus to requirements, as Arteta has overlooked him in the last few Premier League matches.
The north London club have been linked to wingers such as Noa Lang and Dejan Kulusveki, with one of them likely to join the club if Arsenal’s shortage in the wing positions continues.
Emile Smith Rowe who has been excellent for Arsenal so far this season has been utilized on the left wing by Arteta, despite his natural position being in an attacking midfield role.
Before the youngster was adopted to that side, Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe were players featuring in the wing positions.
However, in recent weeks, Pepe’s game time has been very limited with Arteta instead opting for Gabriel Martinelli or Nketiah ahead of him.
This is a sign that the club could be looking to offload the Ivorian after he has failed to impress since his £72m move to the club from Lille in 2019.
If Pepe is to depart, then it would be imperative for Arsenal to sign a wide midfielder, despite that already being the case.
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato , Arsenal have already made initial contact with Juventus over their winger Kulusevski, with him reportedly being available for £30m.
And According to Fichajes , Arsenal are also interested in signing the highly-rated winger Lang. A reported £20 million price tag has been set on the player’s head.
It was certainly a message that Arteta sent out by placing Nketiah on the wing instead of Pepe, whether that was towards Edu to persuade him to bring in a new winger, or it could have been a signal to Pepe that he needs to perform better in training.
The links to Kulusevski and Lang will now be more intense with Arsenal seemingly short in quality in the wing positions.
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