There’s some news going around that Arsenal is looking to complete the Ricardo Calafiori swoop and then shift their focus to Bournemouth’s Ilya Zabarnyi to strengthen their defence this summer. So, there’s been a major update on that Bournemouth raid.
Zabarnyi has just revealed his preferred destination for next season, and surprise, surprise, it’s not Arsenal. The Ukrainian player, who had an impressive 2023–24 season as a key part of Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth defence, has just agreed to a new 5-year contract with the club. Clearly, he just snubbed Arsenal by agreeing to a new deal, which is an indication that he’s not interested in playing for Mikel Arteta.
If a player perceives interest from a prestigious club such as Arsenal, he is likely to pursue an exit strategy, which could involve not signing a new contract and making remarks such as Zabarnyi‘s: “I’m so excited and so happy to be here.
“I’m really enjoying it; it’s a beautiful town and a really exciting project. I’ve enjoyed a lot of good moments; last season was important for me.
“We achieved a record points total, but we can do more; it’s a really great place to be, and I’m pleased to extend my stay.”
Arsenal is a pretty big club, so if they want to sign another defender besides Calafiori, they probably won’t have much trouble attracting a top defensive star.
Playing for Arsenal is a rare opportunity; just ask Moises Caicedo, Douglas Luiz, and Ivan Toney. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Good luck to Zabarnyi; I hope he’s made the right decision!
Darren N
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There’s been a “mountain” of reports about all the players that Arsenal are interested in but, to date, only a “mole hill” of actual signings – Raya (who was already at the club, so hardly a coup for Edu). Not even Calafiori has put pen to paper yet and that saga has been going on for weeks (although it seems like years sometimes).
Arteta himself appears to be frustrated at the lack of progress judging by recent comments. I suspect most Gooners won’t be too bothered about who isn’t joining Arsenal, they’ll want to see who is joining them.