Arsenal transfer news: Unai Emery says club ‘working hard’ after Denis Suarez left out of Barcelona squad

Unai Emery has said that Arsenal are “working hard” to sign a new midfielder ahead of the January transfer deadline, after long-term target Denis Suárez was this morning left out of the Barcelona squad for Wednesday’s Copa del Rey game against Sevilla.

Suárez was a first-team regular for Barcelona under Luis Enrique two seasons ago, but has found it difficult to hold down a regular starting place since Ernesto Valverde was appointed head coach in May 2017.

The 25-year-old central midfielder has played just 17 minutes in La Liga this season, with Valverde conceding at Kevin-Prince Boateng’s unveiling on Tuesday that Suárez could leave the club.

And although Emery stopped short of confirming the club were close to signing Suárez — instead insisting that he “did not want to speak about individual players” — he did admit that the club were working to sign a player fitting the Spaniard’s profile, as well as a defender.

“The idea is firstly to find the quality and this quality can help us,” Emery said ahead of the club’s FA Cup tie against Manchester United on Friday night.

“We need, if he can come here, a winger for the right or left or some players also at centre back. But now, Dinos Mavropanos is coming back after his injuries and I think I can use him in the next matches.

“The club continues to work on that. It's difficult, you know, but I am working with our players and I think we need — and we can — sign some players to help after our injuries like Rob Holding, like Danny Welbeck, like Héctor Bellerín.

But we can play with the players we have now and the same message is to you and every supporter, we only want to sign one or two players who can really help us with good performances.

“The club is working. They know our intentions, our possibilities for signing players that can help us, but they work and also with communication to us.”

Emery meanwhile said that he had “a good relationship” with Roma director of football Monchi, who The Independent understands is one of the names being considered for Arsenal’s new technical director role.

Arsenal are pressing ahead with restructuring of the technical staff, in moves that played a part in Sven Mislintat’s impending departure.

The outgoing head of recruitment had initially been seen as a candidate for technical director, but main target Monchi is probably one of the few football figures in Europe with a reputation equal to that of Mislintat for finding players, and would represent another coup.

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And Emery admitted he is a fan of Monchi, having previously worked with him during his extremely successful period in charge of Sevilla.

“Now, I can only say to you that he's working in Roma,” Emery said. “I worked very well with him in Sevilla for three and a half years, and very well too.

“My relationship with him is good but this work is for the club and the issue is the club's responsibility. I can say to you only that he is a good person and a good professional.:

Emery also denied that he had fallen out with the club’s head of recruitment Mislintat, whose impending Arsenal exit was confirmed earlier this week.

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“It's a very short time that I worked with him but I worked well and pleasantly with him,” Emery said.

“I think he has big experience in Germany and here, and it's one issue in the club and the club is working on that. I can only say to you that my experience with him is positive and is good.”