We have all the latest news coming out of Arsenal today (Wednesday February 19) with updates on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
Gunners make Wirtz contact
Arsenal have made contact with Florian Wirtz over the possible summer signing of the Bayer Leverkusen superstar.
That is according to TBR Football, who report that Wirtz is a target for the Gunners at the end of the season.
The report states that Wirtz is expected to leave Leverkusen this summer if manager Xabi Alonso departs.
The Spanish manager has been tipped to succeed Carlo Ancelotti as manager of Real Madrid.
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Wirtz is one of the most wanted men in Europe, with TBR reporting that Liverpool and Man City have also been in contact previously for Wirtz.
Bayern Munich also want to sign Wirtz, while Real Madrid and Barcelona have been linked as well.
But Arsenal are definitely in for Wirtz and have initiated contact for the Germany star who Leverkusen are desperate to keep by offering a new contract.
Wirtz is the star man of a Leverkusen team that took Germany and Europe by storm last term, leading his club team to an unbeaten domestic double and the final of the Europa League.
He has continued his brilliant performances into the current season with 15 goals and 12 assists in 35 games.
Arsenal monitor Fener hotshot who is better than Osimhen
Arsenal and Manchester United have begun keeping tabs on Fenerbahce striker Youssef En-Nesyri, according to Turkish media.
The Morocco international has been in red-hot form in 2025 so far, netting nine league goals and 14 across all competitions since the turn of the year. All told, En-Nesyri’s tally for the season stands at 23 goals and four assists in 35 appearances.
On Sunday, the 27-year-old notched another brace – his sixth since mid-December – for Fenerbahce as they beat Kasimpasa 3-1 to keep pace with Galatasaray at the top of the standings, with their hated rivals also winning thanks to a two-goal haul from their star striker Victor Osimhen.
However, according to Turkish pundit and former referee Ahmet Cakar, En-Nesyri is actually better than the Nigerian sensation on current form. “It is certain that En-Nesyri is the best striker in the league at the moment. When he catches fire and scores, he makes a great contribution to his team,” the 62-year-old declared after the Kasimpasa clash.
READ MORE: Have the Gunners built a team that is TOO defensive?
Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho similarly hailed the impact of the Moroccan: “Myself and our sporting director were criticised, the club was criticised for paying too much money. There was even talk of selling him to Saudi Arabia right away in January.
“We are seeing what kind of player he is now. Also, the team is playing very well, which affects him. He has 15 goals in the league without a penalty. He also has goals in Europe and in the cup. He is doing very well at the moment,” Mourinho said.
En-Nesyri’s spectacular form hasn’t gone unnoticed elsewhere, with Takvim now claiming that both Arsenal and Man Utd have been keeping tabs on the striker.
Both are known to be in the market for a No.9 and Man Utd, in particular, have been heavily linked with the aforementioned Osimhen, while Arsenal are more keen on Benjamin Sesko and Alexander Isak.
Liverpool’s Isak swap deal is a problem for Arsenal
Liverpool are ready to get serious about their pursuit of Alexander Isak and they could even look to offer up Darwin Nunez as part of the deal, according to a report.
Liverpool are huge fans of Newcastle sharpshooter Isak and view him as the ideal striker for Arne Slot’s system.
In fact, it’s understood that the Reds are the side best positioned to strike a deal for the Swede in the future despite heavy links to Arsenal, who also view him as a top target in addition to Benjamin Sesko.
In January and already in early December, we reported that Newcastle were pushing for Viktor Gyokeres amid concerns over Isak’s future, although there is no guarantee that they will be able to land the Sporting CP man due to his desire to sign for a Champions League club.
READ MORE: Why Paul Scholes was wrong about Arsenal and Alexander Isak
Participation in Europe’s premier competition will also influence what happens with Isak in the summer as it was claimed on Monday that Newcastle had already ‘agreed’ to sell him should they fail to qualify for the Champions League.
Regardless of whether that claim is accurate, it is clear that Isak will be one to watch in the summer window, according to transfer expert David Ornstein. Football Insider, meanwhile, asserts that Liverpool are getting serious about their pursuit of the 25-year-old and are exploring different formulas for a potential transfer.
Due to Newcastle’s hefty valuation north of €100 million and their unwillingness to sell, Liverpool could look to sweeten the deal by including misfiring striker Darwin Nunez in the package, it is claimed.
Despite his disappointing time at Anfield, the Uruguay international is still held in high esteem and Newcastle’s Saudi owners are known to be admirers of the 25-year-old.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund tried to sign Nunez for Al-Nassr in the first 20 or so days of the January window before Liverpool pulled the plug on the deal over fears of disrupting Slot’s squad and the Riyadh side ultimately ended up landing Jhon Duran instead.
Wonderkid Lewis-Skelly is best since Ashley Cole
Shaun Wright-Phillips believes that wonderkid Myles Lewis-Skelly is the best left back he has seen at Arsenal since Ashley Cole.
The 18-year-old Lewis-Skelly has been one of the breakout stars of the season in the Premier League.
He has established himself as Arsenal’s first-choice left back, even pushing big money summer signing Riccardo Calafiori onto the bench.
Lewis-Skelly has been so good that he has even been compared to former Arsenal star Ashley Cole, and Wright-Phillips agrees.
“Ethan Nwaneri, I think he’s a fantastic player, but, honestly, I am a Lewis-Skelly fan. The kid is unbelievable,” Wright-Phillips said.
“I’ll go as far as to say, I’d say he’s the best, not even actual left-back, but he’s the best person I’ve seen at left-back since Ashley Cole.”
Ferdinand pinpoints Arteta’s crucial title error
Rio Ferdinand believes that Mikel Arteta should have trusted Ethan Nwaneri earlier in the season when Martin Odegaard was sidelined.
After another summer of bringing in high-profile recruits, the Gunners felt that this could finally be their season after running Man City close in the previous two campaigns.
However, things ultimately turned out quite differently. While the Cityzens have fallen by the wayside, it has been Liverpool who have stormed away at the top of the Premier League, leaving Arsenal in the dust.
The Reds are currently seven points clear of Mikel Arteta’s men and it would take an almighty collapse for them to slip up now and miss out on their second Premier League title since the competition’s inception in 1992.
Arsenal’s losses against Bournemouth and Newcastle, as well as disappointing draws with Fulham, Everton and Brighton (twice), have left them scrambling to keep up with Liverpool.
Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand believes that Arsenal would be in a better position now had it not been for a selection blunder by Arteta earlier in the season.
The former centre-back is of the opinion that the Spanish tactician should have trusted wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri more during the three-month absence of captain Martin Odegaard, who was dealing with an ankle injury between September and November.
Nwaneri has been hailed for his impact in the past few days. The 17-year-old has already scored seven goals this season and was recently compared to Lionel Messi by Joe Cole and Cesc Fabregas by Arsene Wenger.
“Arsenal could be nearer to winning the league and closer to Liverpool if your manager played Nwaneri when Odegaard was injured,” Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.
“He is cooking defenders, he is cooking teams. I think if he came in you would have got more points. It’s easy to say in hindsight but I was saying it at the time.
“Chuck him in and just see, what’s the worst that can happen? Because you were running up dead alleys at the time and not getting results. Put him in! Odegaard was gone.”