Sagna tells Arsenal boss Arteta to sign a Rory Delap-style player in five-man transfer spree | OneFootball

Former Arsenal right-back Bacary Sagna thinks Mikel Arteta needs to sign five new players this summer to stay competitive next campaign.

There have been numerous players linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer after Arteta’s side finished second in the Premier League and qualified for next season’s Champions League.

Leicester City’s James Maddison is one player who has been linked after the Foxes’ relegation and former Arsenal defender Sagna reckons they need a new difference-maker like the England international or Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse.

Sagna told Lord Ping: “I think Arsenal need to add quality in every department. These players need support and Arsenal need to add competition across the squad in order to compete across four fronts next season. I think they need to add four or five players to the team this summer.

“James Maddison from Leicester. I also really like Ward-Prowse. He is a player that can change a game on his own. Every team needs a player that can change a game in a heartbeat. You know when Arsenal used to play Stoke, Rory Delap was a player that could change a game on his own because of his long throws.”

Granit Xhaka is set to leave the club in the summer transfer window with Bayer Leverkusen reportedly interested in taking him back to Germany.

Sagna added: “I’ve always been a fan of Xhaka. He had a difficult period at the club when the fans turned against him, but I always believed that he is a very good player. He is the type of player that every team needs.

“He never gives up – he works so hard. He plays with a fire in his belly and he is always trying to raise the level of his team mates. He was a good soldier for Arsenal.”

Widespread reports indicate that Arsenal have made West Ham’s Declan Rice their number one target for the summer transfer window and Sagna thinks he will improve under Arteta.

Sagna continued: “I think Declan Rice would improve under Arteta definitely. We saw Xhaka perform in a slightly different role for Arsenal this season, where he had an impact in the offensive part of the field. I think that is where Arsenal would be looking to use Rice if they signed him – I can see him fitting into Xhaka’s role perfectly.

“I think he would play with more freedom at Arsenal than he currently enjoys at West Ham. I think he will find himself in situations where he will have the opportunity to add more goals to his game because he will be receiving better service at Arsenal and he will be playing with better players who will be able to find him like Odegaard.

“I think that the only way for Arsenal to allow Xhaka to leave is by signing Declan Rice. If Xhaka leaves, then I would hope Arsenal may very well have something lined up with Rice.”