Arsenal are reportedly looking at Borussia Monchengladbach’s Alassane Plea as an option to bolster their attacking department in the summer transfer window.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Arsenal are considering making a move for Borussia Monchengladbach’s French attacker Alassane Plea in the current transfer window, as manager Mikel Arteta lines up attacking reinforcements.
A product of the Lyon youth academy, Plea spent time with AJ Auxerre and OGC nice before making his way to Germany in 2018 when he signed for Gladbach. Since then, the 28-year-old has been a consistent performer for the Foals, racking up 37 goals and 20 assists from 107 appearances across all competitions.
Plea enjoyed a decent 2020/21 season that saw him finish with a tally of 12 goals and five assists in 39 matches. While the one-time capped France international still has two years left on his current contract with Borussia Monchengladbach, he has now emerged as a transfer target for faltering Premier League giants Arsenal.
The Gunners had a forgettable 2020/21 season following which they will not be involved in any form of European football in the upcoming campaign. This situation means that they might need to cut down on their massive wage bill, leading to doubts surrounding the futures of some first-team players this summer.
One such player who could be let go of before the upcoming campaign is Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman is entering the final year of his deal with Arsenal and pockets big wages, which could see him getting cut despite him enjoying a fairly decent season on a personal level last time out. In addition, Eddie Nketiah is another player that could be allowed to leave amidst interest from several Premier League clubs, including Watford.
With captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang enduring a rough season last time out, bringing in another centre-forward does make sense for Arteta & co., especially if either Lacazette or Nketiah end up leaving. To that end, they have been linked with a move for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Andre Silva and have already held talks over signing the Portuguese international.
However, Plea, too, has now emerged as an option for the north London giants, as per the aforementioned report. As iterated earlier, the 28-year-old, who has previously been tracked by Manchester United as well, still has two years left on his current contract with Gladbach. It now remains to be seen whether Arsenal decide to act on their interest in the Frenchman or look at alternative targets to strengthen their attacking unit this summer.
