Rayan Cherki was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League over the summer (Image: Getty)
Ex-Arsenal star Mikael Silvestre has urged his former side to bolster their forward ranks with the addition of Lyon star Rayan Cherki in the January transfer window.
The Gunners have made a strong start to the season, though injuries and unnecessary red cards are beginning to cause Mikel Arteta several issues that he must overcome if he is to lead his side to Premier League glory.
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Arsenal were concise in their business over the summer, but Silvestre believes that the Gunners must be willing to splash the cash in January to bring in a fresh wave of attacking talent at the Emirates Stadium.
Speaking to Norskebettingsider, the former Manchester United defender revealed that he feels Arsenal would benefit from raiding the Ligue 1 for three of their top prospects.
He explained: “Right now, Arsenal should be looking at Maghnes Akliouche and Eliesse Ben Seghir at Monaco as well as Rayan Cherki at Lyon.
“These are young players that have the potential to step up to play for Arsenal in the future. It would be nice to see French players joining Arsenal too but that connection hasn’t been the same since Arsene Wenger left the club.
Emile Smith Rowe has hit the ground running at Fulham (Image: Getty)
“Those are three names that come to mind as being players that Arsenal should be looking out for, they have had excellent starts to the season and are showing real potential.”
Akliouche, 22, and Ben Segir, 19, have both impressed for AS Monaco in recent weeks and helped their side to second in the table, behind Paris Saint-Germain.
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Mikel Arteta has been urged to bolster his forward ranks (Image: Getty)
Cherki has also managed to overcome months of transfer speculation to hit the ground running at Lyon, scoring one and assisting another in four league appearances. The 21-year-old was heavily linked with a move to England over the summer, with Chelsea, Newcastle and Crystal Palace among those linked with the versatile forward.
Fulham also agreed on a deal worth £17million to sign the forward before Cherki decided to remain at Lyon, where he penned a new deal. Marco Silva’s side quickly moved on from their pursuit, completing a double raid of Arsenal by signing Reiss Nelson on loan just weeks after welcoming the arrival of Emile Smith Rowe.
The latter has been deployed as a No. 10 at Craven Cottage since leaving his boyhood side, an area of the pitch that Cherki has thrived in since breaking through the ranks in France.
