Arsenal Opinion: Emmanuel Dennis could prove to be a bargain for the Gunners at £12 million
According to claims from Turkish outlet Fanatik, Arsenal are interested in signing Nigerian forward Emmanuel Dennis from Belgian heavyweights Club Brugge this summer, with reports claiming that the Gunners have already tabled a £12 million bid for the 21-year-old.
The same report claims that Ligue 1 giants Lyon and Turkish outfit Fenerbahce are also in the race to sign the highly-rated versatile attacker.
Dennis netted 7 goals in 32 appearances in all competitions for Club Brugge this past season and his promise and potential haven’t gone unnoticed, with Lyon, Fenerbahce and Arsenal weighing up moves for him.
Born in Abuja, Nigeria, Dennis started his career at Accademia di Abuja before moving to European with Ukrainian top-flight outfit Zorya Luhansk back in 2016. The youngster impressed during his time in Ukraine and scored 6 goals in 26 appearances in his debut season, which earned him a move to Belgium with Brugge.
Dennis’ stocks have been on the rise ever since his move to Belgium and he has racked up a decent tally as well, accumulating 19 goals and 8 assists in 70 appearances for Brugge across all competitions till date.
While those numbers might only look decent to the naked eye, the Nigerian has earned rave reviews for his performances and one should not forget that he is still very much in the developmental phase of his career.
Arsenal’s defeat to Chelsea in the Europa League final a couple of weeks back meant that the Gunners missed out on qualification to the Champions League for the third time in a row.
Manager Unai Emery has plenty of issues to sort out in some key areas of the pitch this summer but the Spaniard is likely to have to work under severe financial constraints, with the Mirror reporting that the Gunners are only going to have around 40 million in their transfer kitty.
The Gunners can try and look to raise some funds by offloading some big-earning players like Ozil and Mkhitaryan but the most sensible approach at this point of time would be to bring in some promising youngsters with a view to grooming them for the future. Hence, Club Brugge starlet Emmanuel Dennis might not be a world-beating prospect but he certainly fits the bill at the Emirates.
While defensive reinforcements should be high on Emery’s recruitment list for the summer given the club’s woes at the back this past season, it would also be quite understandable if he chooses to invest in another versatile forward.
Danny Welbeck is set to depart on a free transfer, meaning Arsenal would only have the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette as senior striking options next season.
The Gunners have someone like Eddie Nketiah to call upon but bringing in Dennis won’t be a bad idea after all, given that Nketiah has not played enough first-team football for Arsenal.
A fast, sharp, agile and athletic attacker with good-enough technical attributes for a player of his age, the Nigerian is noted for his versatility to play in multiple positions across the forward line.
Primarily a right-footed player, Dennis is capable of playing out wide on either flank as a wide forward, which allows him to bring his pace, acceleration and trickery into play. However, he is also capable of leading the line as a striker, both in a two-man attack and also as the lone man up front.
Still only 21, Emmanuel Dennis has loads of time to mature and make significant improvements to his game, so it certainly makes a lot of sense for Arsenal to invest in him. Also, his versatility should make him a good fit for Emery’s system and the Gunners could also see him as someone who could push Alex Iwobi for a spot in the eleven.
Dennis might not have an eye-catching profile just yet but he is a really talented youngster and exactly the sort of player that Arsenal need to look at this summer, considering the lack of finances at the manager’s disposal.
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Whether or not he manages to thrive in the Premier League is something that only time will tell, but one cannot help but feel that the Gunners would have to rely solely on bargain deals and free transfers to bolster their ranks this time around.
