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Arsenal target admits that he likes the Gunners 'a lot' amid interest in a summer move


Arsenal target Cody Gakpo has admitted that while he has no favourite Premier League club, he likes the Gunners 'a lot' thanks to Thierry Henry, who is one of the Dutchman's idols.

Gakpo has been tipped to follow in the great Frenchman's footsteps, with Mikel Arteta targeting the winger with a view to converting him into a striker in the future.

Generally deployed on the left wing for PSV, the 22-year-old has played just 3 games through the middle for the Eredivisie outfit.

Nevertheless, 16 goals across the campaign is nothing to be sniffed at, and he boasts all of the raw ingredients to be turned into a brilliant centre-forward. Pace, agility and a keen eye for goal all make Gakpo stand out from the crowd, with the caveat of course being that it is all done in the Dutch top tier rather than one of the ‘big 5 leagues’.

Gakpo favouring Arsenal?

And, speaking to Sun Sport, Gakpo this week revealed that he speaks to his national teammates - including Tottenham's Steven Bergwijn - about the Premier League, but that he has a particular soft spot for north London rivals Arsenal.

'Everybody wants to play one time in the Prem,' the attacker told The Sun. 'I don’t favour one team but I like Arsenal a lot.'

'I looked up to [Thierry] Henry when I was younger because he was a tall guy who played on the wing.'

'The Premier League is a big league. Virgil van Dijk plays there with Liverpool so I like to watch them. We are not the same kind of league but I think we try to look at the Prem and learn about it.

'If I can make a step to a team who plays in the Champions League every season, of course it is my dream. But I still have a contract. Maybe there comes a club I cannot say no to.

'Maybe they won’t come and I have to stay but for now I just want to keep working on this season.'

English fans will be able to watch Gakpo display his talents on English soil during PSV's Europa Conference League clash with Leicester City on Thursday evening, to see how he fares against Premier League opposition.

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Ben Browning

Ben Browning

Football writer and analyst. Long-time writer of all things Arsenal and avid watcher of European football. Happy to discuss all things football over on Twitter.


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