Arsenal appear to be making major moves in the transfer market already and this could come back to haunt Chelsea if they are not careful.
Mikel Arteta has lined up several potential targets to bolster his squad for next season, which could be a concern to Chelsea.
Tariq Lamptey
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners are looking to Tariq Lamptey as a possible replacement at right-back for Hector Bellerin.
Lamptey has been with Brighton & Hove Albion this season after signing permanently from Chelsea last January.
The 19-year-old spent his early footballing days rising through the ranks at Cobham, but never managed to break into the Blues first-team.
Graham Potter prized Lamptey away from Stamford Bridge to gain some minutes for the Seagulls.
He had been enjoying a very prosperous period down by the coast until he was swept away by a hamstring problem in December.
Despite his current injury issues, Arteta is interested in landing Lamptey’s signature with Bellerin’s Arsenal future uncertain.
This would strike a dagger through the heart of many Chelsea fans if one of their own moved to a rival London club.
That knife would be twisted further if Arsenal do remount a challenge on the top four next year, with Lamptey part of their youthful revolution.
Andre Silva
Arteta is also apparently lining up Andre Silva as a substitute for Alexandre Lacazette, as reported by Calciomercato.
Like Bellerin, Lacazette’s future at the Emirates is unclear, but the club have seemingly started to make concession plans for their departures.
Silva’s form for Eintracht Frankfurt in 2020/21 wasn’t going to go unnoticed for long.
In 21 Bundesliga games, the Portuguese striker has scored 19 goals.
This places him above Erling Haaland and just one behind Robert Lewandoski in the top German scoring charts.
Chelsea’s chase of Haaland has seemingly taken a stall, with Sport Bild suggesting they were no longer in the race for Borussia Dortmund’s super striker.
If Arsenal did manage to sign Silva, the Blues may be wondering why they didn’t invest in Frankfurt’s free-scoring forward.
His price tag would certainly be a lot cheaper than Haaland’s.
In an interview with OJogo, the 25-year-old said he heard his market value was around £26m.
There would also be a lot less pressure upon Silva’s shoulders to push Chelsea into a new era.
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