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The Telegraph reports that even without a manager, Arsenal are ready to pounce for Freiburg defender Caglar Soyuncu.
A number of Premier clubs are keen on signing the 21-year old defender, but have been told in recent days that he is not available, as he is on the verge of signing for Arsenal in a £35 million deal.
It is another sign of the change in the power dynamic at Arsenal, with responsibility for transfers and player acquisitions now lying with the board and the head of recruitment, Sven Mislintat. Although candidates for the position of manager to replace Arsene Wenger are now thought to have been interviewed, the club are ready to sign the Turkish international centre-back without feeling the need to consult any of them.
Mikel Arteta now looks favourite to take The Emirates job, despite never having managed a club before, with two of the other leading candidates, Max Allegri of Juventus and Julian Nagelsmann of Hoffenheim, indicating they intended to stay with their current clubs.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.