Arsenal fans already love Eli Junior Kroupi, thanks to his goal for Bournemouth against Manchester City sealing them the Premier League title.
But now, one former Arsenal star says that the Gunners should be in the conversation to sign the Cherries attacker – and that the club should go back to their roots when it comes to Frenchmen in the squad.
Last season, Mikel Arteta only had one player from across the Channel in his side – William Saliba – a far cry from years gone by…
Jeremie Aliadiere: ‘Arsenal need top-level French talent again’
Arsenal were one of the first clubs to fully embrace bringing players from the continent to English shores, with pioneering boss Arsene Wenger signing a plethora of French stars over the years.
The likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit, Robert Pires and Sylvain Wiltord turned the Gunners into one of France’s most popular clubs – even today – with another former French star from Highbury, Jeremie Aliadiere, now telling FourFourTwo that the club need to target more stars from his homeland, given the talent currently coming through Les Bleus’ setup.
“Absolutely, Arsenal should be looking at these types of players,” Aliadiere says now, courtesy of Casino Groups. “Barcola has already been mentioned this summer for one of Arsenal’s targets.
“He has been excellent for PSG and France and would be perfect on the left-hand side of the attack for Arsenal. He is a fantastic player and would take Arsenal to the next level if they look to pursue a transfer for him.
“And being French, there will obviously be comparisons to former French attacking players who were successful at Arsenal.
“But also, Kroupi has been mentioned as well: I know he has an injury, which may mean he stays at Bournemouth, but has shown last season he is a good young player who has a lot of potential, and teams will be interested in him for sure.”
This summer, Arsenal signed their first Frenchman since 2019 when they brought in Ilian Meslier on a free transfer.
The Gunners kickstart their Premier League defence at home to Coventry City.