There’s a strong case to be made that Arsenal are the best team in Europe right now. Certainly, the win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday evening underlined the credentials of Mikel Arteta‘s multi-title challengers.
The Gunners have mastered their game. Some have ridiculed Arteta and his side for finishing second in the Premier League three seasons in a row, but this has only hardened their resolve and will to win, concurrently deepening the tactical layers Arteta has spent so much time developing.
This is the result of everything coming together over multiple campaigns. Hard work and perserverance. Now, Arsenal have the luxury to add elite quality to an already fearsome outfit, and technical director Andrea Berta has found his man.
Arsenal’s transfer plans
After such an impressive summer transfer window, table-topping Arsenal aren’t expected to be all that busy in the January transfer window. However, the Londoners will react if the right opportunity presents itself.
Juventus playmaker Kenan Yildiz remains a long-standing target, and attacking midfield is indeed a position the Emirates outfit is likely to target in the coming windows.
However, a recent report from Caught Offside suggests Berta is gearing up to launch a move for Newcastle United full-back Tino Livramento, with the 23-year-old also attracting strong intrigue from Manchester City and Manchester United.
Livramento has been one of the Magpies’ standout players this season, and his club know it, having responded to growing interest in his name by listing him at £80m.
What Tino Livramento would offer Arsenal
Livramento has made 90 appearances for Newcastle since first arriving on Tyneside, having joined the club from Southampton in a deal rising to £40m in 2023.
Last season, he played an instrumental role in securing the Carabao Cup title, something Gunners fans might remember after his tremendous performance at the Emirates in the first leg of the semi-finals.
A modern and dynamic full-back, Livramento’s positional versatility has seen him play ample on his unnatural left flank for United, with his surpassing technical quality leading Newcastle-focused content creator Kendall Rowan to hail him as a “superstar” of a prospect.
Given that Manchester City also have a vested interest, you could say that Livramento would emulate Declan Rice by completing a big-money move from a title-winning Premier League rival like Newcastle, Rice having completed his £105m transfer to north London from West Ham United in 2023, since transcending his role as a superstar.
Tino Livramento – Career Stats by Position | ||
|---|---|---|
Position | Apps | Goals + Minutes |
Right-back | 91 | 1 + 6 |
Right wing-back | 37 | 3 + 11 |
Left-back | 24 | 0 + 2 |
Left wing-back | 6 | 1 + 1 |
Right wing | 1 | 0 + 0 |
Data via Transfermarkt | ||
As Arteta’s troops march their way through the campaign, indomitably, irrevocably, Rice is the most trusted lieutenant, now one of the best central midfielders in the world after several years lauded as an elite talent with room for growth.
In this way, Livramento would mimic him, completing a move to north London and rejecting Pep Guardiola on the way to the Emirates.
Moreover, the likes of Theo Walcott have praised Newcastle’s star full-back for his potential to become something even more, suggesting that his athleticism and ability to play across a range of positions make him someone akin to Gareth Bale.
Bale was a superstar, alright, and this is evidence that Livramento falls into a bracket of world-class players.
Newcastle are bound to play hardball over one of their biggest, most profitable talents, but Arsenal have shaped their stadium into quite the desirable destination, and Livramento would have the chance to emulate Rice in rising the Premier League ladder and becoming a superstar under Arteta’s wing.
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