Transfer Rumor: Arsenal in for RB Leipzig winger Emil Forsberg

It’s about that time again. There’s less than a month left in the season which means transfer rumors will start flying fast and thick. To kick things off, Arsenal are being linked to RB Leipzig midfielder and Swedish international Emil Forsberg. According to SportBild (and summarized nicely by Sport Witness), it is an “open secret” that Forsberg wants out of Leipzig. Bild reports that Arsenal attempted to buy the Swede in January but were rebuffed. Forsberg has also been linked with A.C. Milan.

Forsberg had a magnificent debut season in the Bundesliga, scoring 8 goals and assisting on 22 more. He’s been limited by injuries this season to 21 appearances, 2 goals, and 2 assists. His season ended prematurely when he was assessed a three-match ban for elbowing an opponent at the weekend. Following the announcement of his suspension, Forsberg took to Twitter.

Was he sarcastically tweeting at the German FA? Was he saying goodbye to his Leipzig fans? Had he just gotten a bunch of free stuff in the mail? Who knows. For right now, his agent is telling people that Forsberg’s intentions will become clear after the season.

It’s tough to say whether Forsberg would be a good fit for Arsenal. He’s a good player, and Arsenal have needed a true wide midfielder, as opposed to a central player playing the wing, for a long time. But without a manager in place for next season and no idea of the type of formation that manager prefers, it’s tough to say who “fits” into next year’s team.

With a coaching vacancy to fill and a World Cup this summer, this offseason should be one of the “sillier” ones we’ve seen in a while for Arsenal. This Forsberg rumor is just the tip of the iceberg - should be fun.