Arsenal have been urged to park their pursuit of Newcastle's Sandro Tonali and prioritise signing a striker, according to former player Ray Parlour. The Italian midfielder has been a standout performer since joining St James' Park in 2023 and has been heavily linked with an exit. Newcastle's bottom-half finish has impacted their finances, potentially forcing them to sell one of their biggest stars.
Midfield Depth Already Strong
Parlour believes Arsenal should focus on other areas, especially given their midfield options such as Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi. Speaking to 10bet, he said: "He's (Tonali) a top player. There's no doubt about that. Again, you've always got to be in the hunt when you've got players of this quality. But Zubimendi has just gone off the boil a little bit. He had a really good start to the season - he's one of my players who I've really enjoyed watching - but he's just dropped off a little bit. That's why Myles Lewis-Skelly has got his opportunity."
Parlour added: "But I'm sure there will be a lot of takers for Tonali because I do like the way he plays and he's strong - you know, a box-to-box player sort of thing. They're like the old-fashioned midfielders; as I say, you can do a bit of both - get forward and you can also defend well. So it’ll be interesting to see what Arsenal's plans are. But I think for me, Arsenal’s transfer priorities are a striker first, and maybe a left winger before they start thinking about Tonali or anyone else."
Striker Signing Despite Gyokeres
The Gunners have been urged to consider adding more firepower, despite signing Viktor Gyokeres last summer for an initial fee of £55 million. The Swedish striker had a mixed debut season, and although he broke the 20-goal barrier, there is still talk of bolstering options in the final third. A winger has also been discussed as a potential target.
Arsenal have invested heavily under Mikel Arteta each year and will look to capitalise on their Premier League title by adding quality while at the top. The club could also enter the market as Champions League winners, depending on the result of this weekend's final.
Newcastle's Potential Sales
Newcastle have several players who could command sizeable fees if they need to offset revenue losses. Alongside Tonali, Anthony Gordon has been linked with an exit, with Barcelona and Bayern Munich reportedly interested. Bruno Guimaraes is another sought-after star, but he has given little indication of wanting to leave.
