ARSENAL are looking to buy British and revamp Unai Emery’s squad with homegrown talent. The Gunners had England Under-21 full-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles in their team facing Valencia in the Europa League semi-final – but every other player was foreign. Aaron Ramsey will depart for Juventus at the end of the campaign and Emery’s first-team squad […]
ARSENAL are looking to buy British and revamp Unai Emery’s squad with homegrown talent.
The Gunners had England Under-21 full-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles in their team facing Valencia in the Europa League semi-final – but every other player was foreign.
Aaron Ramsey will depart for Juventus at the end of the campaign and Emery’s first-team squad will lose another homegrown influence.
Their determination to get British talent into the first-team has seen them track Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser, who has one year left on his contract.
The Scottish winger is not “homegrown” on the Premier League squad list but has played in England for seven years since moving down from Aberdeen.
Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha, who has admirers at Arsenal, is considered homegrown despite switching countries to play for Ivory Coast.
Emery’s targets and budget will depend on whether gets Arsenal into the Champions League, via a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League or winning the Europa League.
He could have just £40million if they spend another season in the Europa.
But the club want the summer spend to bolster its core with players brought up in the Premier League.
Only Carl Jenkinson remains from the famous 2012 picture of Arsene Wenger with FIVE young Brits signing new deals at Arsenal.
Ramsey has joined Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain leaving the club.
