Campbell: Arsenal must pursue Leicester model and sign Wolves star
Sol Campbell reckons Arsenal must pursue the Leicester City recruitment model by signing players from the “next level down”.
Signings in recent years have left a lot to be desired with the likes of Nicolas Pepe – who had a good end to this season – failing to live up to their big price tags.
And there are rumours that Mikel Arteta will now be forced to sell before he can buy this summer as the Gunners plan their recruitment drive.
The 956 retained and 143 released Premier League players
Former Arsenal defender Campbell thinks Arteta and his recruitment team “should be looking at” Conor Coady from Wolves.
Campbell told Ladbrokes: “There’s a lot of players out there who can fit the Arsenal mould.
“‘Conor Coady is a good player; he’s comfortable on the ball, he’s a winner. He’s definitely got the kind of mentality Arsenal should be looking at in new players.
“He’s definitely someone they should look at because he’s so solid, he wants to defend. He can pass as well, he’s quick, he’s strong, he’s good in the air. He’s a good all-rounder and he’s got a bit about him.
“He’s at a good club now in Wolves, but he’s actually someone I’d be looking at for Arsenal this summer. He’s got a great attitude as well, and I like that.”
Leicester have made a great habit of buying players for relatively low prices before developing them into top players, like Harry Maguire and Youri Tielemans.
And Campbell reckons Arsenal need to scout harder and follow this model. He added: “I think Arsenal need to buy clever this summer.
“It’s clear the spending power isn’t there; it’s nowhere near the levels other clubs are willing to spend, so they’ve got to look at that next level down. But in that next level you can still find decent players.
“They’re just got to look a little bit harder. Leicester do it. Arsenal need the right people out there looking at players. The club doesn’t have the funds to take a risk on a player for £50m, £60m for it not to work out.
“But look at what Leicester have done in recent years; they don’t really tend to spend more than £30m on players and more often than not they’ve got it right.
“A lot of teams take risks on spending smaller amounts on players and giving them a bit of time to develop. Look at Atalanta in Italy, Ajax have been doing it for decades, and now Leicester are doing the same in the Premier League.”
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