Arsenal Prepared to Sign Player Involved in Reported Altercation with Guardiola

By Willow Austin
Published on 2024-03-24 16:26:42

Arsenal’s interest in Joao Cancelo has been making headlines, with reports suggesting that the London club is looking to bring the defender to Emirate Stadium. This interest comes after a fallout between Cancelo and Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City.

Joao Cancelo, a Portuguese defender, had a successful stint with the Sky Blues before being offloaded by the club twice. He was first sent on loan to Bayern Munich and later to Barcelona. The fallout with Guardiola reportedly stemmed from the manager’s preference to play other players in Cancelo’s position after the 2022 World Cup. It was rumored that Cancelo had an attitude problem, which led to Guardiola being furious and eventually resulted in Cancelo’s move to Bayern in January 2023.

After his time at Bayern, Cancelo joined Barcelona in the summer of 2023 and has since become one of the standout defenders at the club. Despite his success at Barcelona, reports suggest that the Spanish giants may struggle to meet Manchester City’s asking price of £40 million for Cancelo, opening up the possibility of a move to another club in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Arsenal has emerged as a potential destination for Cancelo, with manager Mikel Arteta reportedly keen on working with the talented defender. The Gunners have been alerted to Barcelona’s reluctance to pay more than a loan fee for Cancelo, and the successful transfer history between Manchester City and Arsenal could work in the London club’s favor during negotiations.

Both clubs have engaged in successful transfer deals in the past, with City selling players like Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal, who have proven to be valuable additions to the team. Additionally, Arteta’s previous role as an assistant manager at Manchester City could also facilitate a potential transfer involving Cancelo.

Overall, the possibility of Joao Cancelo making a move to Arsenal in the near future seems plausible, especially with the reported interest from the Gunners and the circumstances surrounding his fallout with Guardiola at Manchester City. The upcoming summer transfer window will provide more clarity on Cancelo’s future and whether a move to Emirate Stadium is on the cards for the talented defender.