adminLONDON. — Arsene Wenger has admitted he is relishing the challenge of the new season with so many top managers arriving in the English Premier League this summer. Pep Guardiola has taken over at Manchester City while Antonio Conte is now in charge at Chelsea and Wenger says he cannot wait to face off against them in the coming months.As well as Guardiola and Conte, Manchester United have welcomed Jose Mourinho to the club as their new boss meaning England will be bursting with title winning pedigree managers this season, but Wenger is not fazed.
“It’s great because it’s a little bit like a world championship of managers because all the best managers come to England to make our lives even more difficult,” said Wenger.
“That’s what you want, for the Premier League to be interesting.
“The more we have quality managers, the more it will be interesting and create interest from the outside world.”
Wenger takes his side to Anfield for their opening league fixture to face Liverpool, who are currently managed by another hugely successfully coach, Jurgen Klopp.
Arsenal will be desperate to mount a sustained title challenge this season after falling by the wayside last term.
And Arsenal have made a £13.5m offer for Torino’s Bruno Peres, according to reports.
However, Toro News claim the Italian club are demanding around £17m for the 26-year-old. Wenger is in desperate need of defensive cover after Per Mertesacker was ruled out for up to five months with a knee injury.
Peres, who operates primarily as a right-back, made 31 top flight appearances for Torino last term, scoring three goals and assisting seven in the process.
The likes of Manchester City and Barcelona have also shown interest in the Brazilian, who has a further four years left to run on his current deal.
Arsenal scouts watched the player in action during Torino’s pre-season friendly draw with Benfica on Wednesday.
And they were obviously impressed with what they saw as the Gunners have now reportedly made their interest concrete with an official bid.
Wenger has already been a busy man this summer, sealing the signings of Rob Holding, Granit Xhaka and Takuma Asano. Arsenal are also keen on Paris St-Germain star Blaise Matuidi, according to reports. Starsport revealed last month that Matuidi is a back-up target to Paul Pogba for Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.
But according to TransferMarketWeb, it is Arsenal who have shown the most interest in the 29-year-old this summer.
They say Wenger is currently preparing an offer for the defensive midfielder, who has a further two years left to run on his existing deal. PSG boss Unai Emery recently refused to rule out a summer switch for the player, although he is keen for him to remain in the French capital.
“Matuidi is a fantastic footballer and he belongs to PSG,” he said.
“He joins up later because he played the last game, the final of Euro 2016, with the French national team.
“We’re waiting for him. He is a great footballer and logically I don’t want to dispense with great footballers.
“We’ve spoken about how there are a lot of midfielders and that there could be a situation in a given moment that the player could leave, but of course, I as coach am behind him.
“The circumstances could change that, but in principle, it’s not what I want.”
Arsenal have also made a shock offer to re-sign Thomas Vermaelen, according to reports in Spain.
Catalan publication Sport claim Barcelona are currently weighing up a bid from the north London outfit.
Vermaelen swapped the Emirates for the Nou Camp in a £15m deal just two years ago. But the injury-prone Belgian has gone on to make a limited impact for the Spanish giants.
He famously lifted the Champions League trophy and won a domestic double in his first season with the club, despite playing just once all year.
And the 30-year-old endured an equally frustrating campaign last term, making just 10 top flight appearances as he continued to struggle for both form and fitness.
But Wenger is in desperate need of defensive cover after Per Mertesacker was ruled out for up to five months with a knee injury. And the Gunners chief reportedly believes Vermaelen, who he originally signed from Ajax for £10m in 2009, would be a capable stand-in for the big German.
The player was made captain three years into his Arsenal career following the sale of Robin van Persie to Manchester United. — The Daily Star-Metro.
Online Reporter