Bradley Barcola has been told to snub a move to Arsenal this summer because playing for Mikel Arteta is 'too much of a risk', according to a former England and Tottenham winger. The Paris Saint-Germain forward is expected to leave the reigning European champions before the transfer window closes after contract negotiations broke down, with Liverpool emerging as the preferred destination.
PSG forward's exit hastened by Ferran Torres arrival
Barcola's departure is likely to be accelerated by the impending arrival of Ferran Torres from Barcelona, after PSG saw their offer of around £50million accepted on Tuesday night. The 23-year-old is keen on a move to Anfield, and personal terms are not thought to represent an issue, but Liverpool are reluctant to meet the French club's £120m asking price.
Until a fee is agreed, however, Liverpool are vulnerable to a hijack, and Arsenal are said to be considering their options in the wake of being snubbed by Vinicius Junior. The Gunners hold a long-standing interest in Barcola, who can play off the left or through the middle.
Former winger's advice: prioritize playing style over wages
The former England and Spurs winger, speaking to Snabbare, advised Barcola to focus on which club best suits his playing style rather than the financial package on offer. He said: 'Bradley Barcola is an exciting talent and my advice to him would be to look at the clubs who are interested in him, not just the wages on offer or the price tags they're willing to pay. There's only certain teams out there who can afford to pay what Paris Saint-Germain are asking for so he needs to go and think about who he wants to play for, not just sign for whoever comes in for him.'
'He needs to ask himself how he needs to play and how the teams wanting to sign him play. Are they direct or will they not encourage you to play to your strengths? Why would you want to play for a team like that? I think Barcola needs to really think about his football and what he wants to do on the pitch.'
The former winger drew on his own career moves, explaining: 'You need to look at teams who play a certain type of football which suits you. That was what I did throughout my career. When I left Newcastle United, I went to Tottenham Hotspur because they suited how I played football. I went to Marseille because they were going to let me express myself. I went to Sheffield Wednesday because Trevor Francis was going to let me go out there and play how I play. Players have to look at that.'
Liverpool favored over Arsenal for Barcola's development
He emphasized the importance of finding the right fit, stating: 'It's pointless rocking up at a club that's a bad fit, it doesn't work out, and you wonder why you ever made the move. Finances have a big say in it but he'll be getting good money wherever he goes.'
Directly comparing the two Premier League clubs, he added: 'If I was advising Bradley Barcola, I'd be telling him he should go to Liverpool because he's going to have more license to play his own game for Liverpool under Andoni Iraola to go and do what he does, because that's why people want to spend all that money to sign him. At Paris Saint-Germain, he gets the ball and he takes on his full-back, but if he played for Arsenal, Mikel Arteta would probably be too worried about him losing the ball. Suddenly he's lost 50% or 75% of his game.'
'If he plays for Liverpool, Iraola is going to want him to play his game, take on the full-back, run at people and create danger. That's too much of a risk for a manager like Arteta. If I was Barcola and I was picking between the two, I'd go to Liverpool.'
