Arsenal ‘exploring’ deal to sign Sam Tickle as Arteta target late swoop

Arsenal are exploring a move to sign Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Sam Tickle as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen his squad during the closing days of the transfer window, according to The Athletic.

The Gunners announced their second major addition this summer on Tuesday with the signing of midfielder Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad. The Spaniard follows defender Riccardo Calafiori in making the move to North London while goalkeeper David Raya also made his loan move from Brentford permanent.

However, Arteta remains active in the market and while Arsenal are expected to bring in another attacker before the window closes, they are also looking to sign at least one more goalkeeper before Friday night’s deadline.

Following Karl Hein’s loan move to Real Valladolid, the Gunners are short of options in the goalkeeping department so Arteta needs to bring in another No.3 over the coming days, and the club are particularly in the market for a player who qualifies as home-grown.

Arsenal have been strongly linked with Dan Bentley in recent weeks and had an offer rejected by Wolves earlier in the summer.

New target

However, it appears the Londoners are looking at other targets as The Athletic claims Arsenal are now ‘exploring’ a deal to sign highly-rated Wigan shot-stopper Sam Tickle.

The 6ft 2in keeper has emerged as one of the best young talents in Britain since establishing himself as Wigan’s first choice last season having come through the clubs youth system.

Tickle made 52 appearances in all competitions for Wigan last season – keeping 18 clean sheets – and was named as the clubs Player of the Season. His form earned him a call-up to the England U21’s in March where he made his debut against Luxembourg.

The 22-year-old is under contract until 2028 so Wigan are under no pressure to sell, and it remains to be seen where the player is willing to give up regular first team football to be a No.3 at Arsenal.

If Aaron Ramsdale also leaves, Arsenal will be in the market for a new back-up for Raya but it’s highly unlikely Tickle would be considered for that role. Instead, Arteta is likely to target a more established name with Espanyol’s Joan Garcia heavily linked.

It’s going to be a busy few days at Arsenal as Arteta looks to strengthen his squad for the on-going season, with a particular focus on revamping his goalkeeping department.