Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta targets Youri Tielemans amid plan to rid Emirates of ‘poison’

Leicester and Belgium midfielder Tielemans is on the Gunners’ radar as manager Arteta hopes to keep putting smiles on the faces of old lads like Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp

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Mikel Arteta outlines his goals after signing new Arsenal contract

Mikel Arteta has made Leicester star Youri Tielemans one of his top targets this summer as he looks to continue his rebuild at Arsenal.

The Gunners boss, who signed a new three-year deal with the Emirates last week, is keen to bolster his midfield for what will hopefully be his club’s first Champions League season since 2017/18. And with Mohamed Elneny out of contract at Arsenal this summer and with Granit Xhaka’s future also in doubt, Tielemans is firmly on his radar.

The Belgian will enter the final year of his contract with Leicester in July and the fact he’s no closer to a new deal means there’s a growing feeling at the East Midlands club that they’re best served this summer to benefit from its services .

Leicester are preparing for offers, with Manchester United also linked. But if Arsenal can immediately offer Champions League football by finishing in the top four this season, then they will be in the box seat to win the player who scored the winning goal in last season’s FA Cup final.

Arteta, meanwhile, admits there have been times when he wondered if he couldn’t land a new deal at the Emirates. He said, “It’s there. You have to be prepared, anything can happen. In the end, everything depends on the results. If you’re not getting the right results over a period of time, know that you’re always facing that possibility. And when you’re doing well and everyone’s happy and the team is doing well, you’re exposed to something that needs to be extended on that journey – that’s how I take it.”

In the last few seasons and even this season there has been a lot of negativity at the club. But as it became clearer that the Gunners would be pushing for the Champions League spots this time around, the negativity has receded.

And the moments shared by Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka with Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry after the Manchester United game were a beautiful moment for Arteta as the past and present were positively linked, which wasn’t always the case given some criticisms from former stars.

Arteta added: “There are a lot more positives than negatives and we have a great example with ex-players and what happened at the Emirates a few weeks ago – it was emotional, it was natural and organic and it just happens. Hopefully now they’ve realized that anyone who wants to contribute to what we do, really wants to contribute, with advice or support or whatever, they’re more than welcome to come along.

“Anyone who wants to poison the club will be very far away from the club. We have so much success and so many incredible people and players in the history of this football club and we have to encourage them to come back to the club to make us strong. That is my goal and the goal of the club.”