Parlour urges Arsenal to sign striker and winger before pursuing Tonali

Ray Parlour has urged Arsenal to focus their summer transfer activity on a striker and a left winger rather than pursuing Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, arguing the Gunners’ midfield options already make that position a lower priority.

Tonali has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates after a strong two-year spell at St James’ Park since joining in 2023. Newcastle’s bottom-half Premier League finish has raised questions about the club’s finances and whether they may be forced to sell one of their most valuable assets.

Parlour, speaking to 10bet, acknowledged Tonali’s quality but pointed to Arsenal’s existing depth in central midfield as a reason to look elsewhere first. “He’s a top player. There’s no doubt about that,” Parlour said. “Again, you’ve always got to be in the hunt when you’ve got players of this quality. But Zubimendi has just gone off the boil a little bit. He had a really good start to the season — he’s one of my players who I’ve really enjoyed watching — but he’s just dropped off a little bit. That’s why Myles Lewis-Skelly has got his opportunity.”

Parlour added that Tonali’s box-to-box profile would attract plenty of suitors, but insisted Arsenal’s hierarchy should address other areas first. “I think for me, Arsenal’s transfer priorities are a striker first, and maybe a left winger before they start thinking about Tonali or anyone else.”

Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres last summer for an initial fee of £55 million, but the Swedish forward endured a mixed debut season, leaving the club potentially open to adding further firepower in attack.

Mikel Arteta’s side have invested heavily in each window of his tenure and could enter the market this summer as Champions League winners, depending on the outcome of this weekend’s final.

At Newcastle, Tonali is not the only player attracting external interest. Anthony Gordon has been linked with a departure, with Barcelona and Bayern Munich reported to be keen. Bruno Guimaraes is also coveted but has given little indication he wishes to leave.