Arsenal’s interest in Bournemouth’s big talent Eli Junior Kroupi is very real, as they plan for the years to come.
The Gunners were one of several clubs heavily linked with the 20-year-old in the summer, but a move away from the Vitality Stadium never materialised due to injury.
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Kroupi is currently out injured after undergoing surgery for a foot problem he suffered during Bournemouth’s training camp in Austria in July – which in the process put him out of action for three to four months.
The Frenchman had a brilliant debut season on the south coast, scoring 13 goals and helping the Cherries qualify for Europe for the very first time.
Kroupi will still be in demand when he returns from injury, and football.london’s Arsenal correspondent Tom Canton reports that he is “someone to watch” at the turn of the year if he is available.
Arsenal haven’t made a big purchase in January for quite some time. Depending on Junior Kroupi and his potential availability in January, he is one to keep an eye on.
“We reported at the start of the summer that Arsenal had a genuine interest in him, and if he hadn’t suffered that injury, I would have been curious to see if Arsenal would have played a stronger card towards the end of this window, rather than waiting for the [Julian] Alvarez situation to see if it would change. The interest is very real.”
Eli Junior Kroupi’s 2025/26 season in numbers
Matches
35
Minutes
1 839
Objectives
13
Assists
0
Arsenal have made some very smart transfers in recent years to position themselves as a regular contender for football’s biggest trophies.
The Premier League champions will not stand still in the transfer market as they seek to continue their recent success under Mikel Arteta.
An offensive boost would help “The Gunners” as they fight on four fronts, and a potential purchase of Kroupi – who is valued at around £80 million – would take their attack to a whole new level.
The French youngster will bolster the club’s options at the top, joining Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres in the battle for the striker spot in Arsenal’s starting eleven.
His Bournemouth teammate Marcus Tavernier has definitely been full of praise for him over the past season.
Kroupi and Rayan are world-class talents. We give young players the confidence to go out there and play with freedom.
However, there is still so much more to be gained from Kroupi, and everyone wants to see how he builds on such an impressive football season in the Premier League.
Arteta will be able to extract even more from him, and playing alongside some of the world’s best players will only help his game develop in the coming years.
Unemployed manager observed at Old Trafford
