Arsenal given Roberto Firmino transfer instruction as Chelsea seek striker solution
Arsenal's pursuit of extra firepower for the second half of the Premier League season could be aided by a familiar face, should Mikel Arteta decide to take advantage of a couple of potential Saudi wantaways. The Gunners are currently fourth in the table five points behind league leaders Liverpool and in need of a few more goals having scored the fewest of the current top-five sides so far this season.
Chelsea are in a similar boat, albeit further down the table, and despite owner Todd Boehly spending over 1bn on transfers since his arrival they appear to still be on the hunt for a forward who can bump them up the table. On Monday the Blues were linked with possible loan moves for former Liverpool legend Roberto Firmino and ex-Real Madrid star Karim Benzema. Both players are currently plying their trade in the Saudi Pro League but neither appear to be enjoying the ride.
Firmino left Liverpool at the end of last season when his contract expired in search of a new challenge after a decorated stint at Anfield, but despite scoring a hat-trick on his debut for Al-Alhi, he hasn't scored once in 18 matches since. The Brazilian is on a big-money contract in the Middle East but could be tempted back to Premier League on a loan deal for the second half of the season. However, if Arteta wants to add some short-term artillery to his Arsenal squad before going after a more permanent target in the summer, Firmino is probably not the man to provide it.
Although he was a key element of Liverpool's lethal trio of strikers under Jurgen Klopp alongside Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, it was the African pair who took the lion's share of responsibility for racking up the goals whilst Firmino acted as the link man. Arteta already has a Brazilian
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