Arsenal have yet to close the door fully to further potential incomings in the summer transfer window.
That’s the word coming out of sources close to CaughtOffside who acknowledge that the Gunners are keeping a watching brief on Club Brugge’s Andreas Skov Olsen.
The 24-year-old Dane has already registered two goals in five Jupiler Pro League appearances this term, following up on a 2023/24 campaign that yielded 34 goal contributions in 50 games (across all competitions).
As such, it’s far from surprising that the right-sided winger – also previously linked with Tottenham, according to Dutch outlet Voetbalkrant – has caught the eye of Europe’s elite.
Who is Andreas Skov Olsen?
The attacker kicked off his career in his native Denmark with FC Nordsjaelland before subsequent moves took him across Europe to Serie A’s Bologna in 2019 and Belgium’s Club Brugge in 2022.
Olsen featured briefly in this summer’s edition of the European Championship, amassing a meagre 122 minutes of action before De Rød-Hvide were dumped out of the round of 16 by hosts Germany.
His tally outside of the Euros is somewhat more impressive – racking up 15 goal contributions in 33 games since his debut in 2020.
How much will it take for Arsenal to sign him?
Should Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal wish to add to a summer of incomings that has seen Riccardo Calafiori join from Bologna and David Raya permanently signed from Brentford, they won’t be forced to dig deep into their wallets.
Club Brugge, sources inform CaughtOffside, have set a price tag in the region of €25-30m [£21.1-25.4m] for their star attacker. The Gunners are most certainly intrigued by the prospect of providing backup to Bukayo Saka and believe that Olsen would be a perfect fit for the role in question.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that the presence of fellow Scandinavian Martin Ødegaard should make it easier for the wide man to adapt to life in the English capital.
It forms part of the North London-based outfit’s wider strategy to bolster their squad depth for the remainder of the campaign.
Compared to Mo Salah… and Arjen Robben
If the footballer can live up to his billing as a player in the mould of modern-day great Mo Salah, Arsenal could be on to quite the summer signing.
Danish reporter Klaus Egelund made the comparison in his discussion with Het Nieuwsblad: “He is an Eden Hazard type. But, since he’s left-footed and plays on the right, you could better compare him to (Arjen) Robben or (Mohamed) Salah.”
I hate seeing comparisons between a young up and coming player and an established legend of the game. What that kind comparison can do is increase the pressure on the young shoulders and that anxiety may become the Achilles tendon that will forestall a player’s development. Let the poor guy be evaluated in his own merit. Having said that, fir £21m, that would be a steal, a risk worth taking
100% agree
Affirmative.
Arsenal sure needs a Saka back now more than ever especially with misfiring Martinelli. If you ask me i think £17m wont be a bad idea