Dominik Szoboszlai: Arsenal continue midfielder search with target set to join RB Leipzig, says sporting director Edu

Arsenal’s sporting director Edu has confirmed the club will continue to look for a creative midfielder after missing out on Dominik Szoboszlai.

The Hungarian has decided to join RB Leipzig in the January transfer window instead of Arsenal while Bayern Munich and Real Madrid had also been interested in signing the 20-year-old next summer.

Ex-Gunners midfielder Edu says: “It’s quite clear what we need.”

He told a fans forum on Tuesday night: “We need a player with creativity in the middle. We don’t have that in the squad right now.”

Sky Sports News reported last week that young defender William Saliba could also be loaned out in the January window – and Edu has suggested they still have hope he can make it in the first-team long-term.

“Maybe he needs a little more time,” Edu said. “He’s a bright talent. We need to talk with him and Mikel to plan for next year.”

Edu addressed a number of issues from disgruntled Arsenal fans at the forum, with the team having slumped to 15th in the table following a home defeat to Burnley last time out, including reports of a rift between manager Mikel Arteta and the players.

“Every single club has problems,” Edu said.

“The stories about a split between the players and Arteta are not true. Stories about players not believing and not trusting Mikel are not true.”