Arsenal close in on Odegaard and Ramsdale
Prospective arrivals of Odegaard and Ramsdale divide opinion among pundits
Arsenal are close to completing the double transfer swoop of midfielder Martin Odegaard and goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, according to reports.
Odegaard joined the Gunners on loan in January, playing 20 times and scoring twice before returning to Real Madrid.
Ramsdale, meanwhile, played 42 games for relegated Sheffield United last season, after returning to the club from Bournemouth for £18.5 million (S$34.5m) last August. He was part of England's 33-man provisional squad but failed to make the cut for Euro 2020.
The 23-year-old was left out of the Blades side who lost 4-0 to West Bromwich Albion yesterday morning (Singapore time), with manager Slavisa Jokanovic saying he was not "in the right state of mind" to play.
At press time, Ramsdale was reportedly having his medical ahead of a £24m move to Arsenal while Odegaard has completed his ahead of a transfer worth an initial £30m, according to Sky Sports.
Mikel Arteta's side, who finished eighth last season, lost their season-opener to newly promoted Brentford 2-0 last Friday.
Ex-Tottenham Hotspur and England Under-21 midfielder Jamie O'Hara mocked Arsenal's transfer business this summer, calling them "Banter FC".
He told talkSPORT: "They are Banter FC right now. Odegaard, Ramsdale, Ben White, (Albert Sambi) Lokonga and (Nuno) Tavares.
"They've spent £135m on a B-team. Is their team any better than last season?"
However, former Arsenal and England midfielder Michael Thomas hit out at criticism from talkSPORT pundits who suggested that 22-year-old Odegaard, once the most hyped teenager when he joined Real as a 16-year-old, was overpriced.
He tweeted: "This is a ridiculous statement. He is easily a £30m player in today's market."
Former Liverpool and England goalkeeper David James, meanwhile, defended Ramsdale, telling Sky Sports: "When you consider Sheffield United paid £18.5m for him, it's a logical valuation.
"Given that he had a long-term contract, his experience, he's an England goalkeeper, it would suggest he has a future that Arsenal can utilise.
"Aaron Ramsdale has all the agility, he makes big saves - the one question mark I have over him is distribution...
"If he improves on that, he has all the qualities to be Arsenal's No. 1 for a long period of time."
However, ex-Gunners midfielder Paul Merson has accused his former club's technical director Edu of "lazy recruitment" that has "left Mikel Arteta behind".
He told Sky Sports: "It's worrying at Arsenal. You're still thinking: Where are they going?
"Edu has come in, and the recruitment has been lazy, if I'm being honest. It's been: 'Oh, we'll take Willian on a free... we'll take David Luiz for cheap."
His ex-teammate Ray Parlour, meanwhile, told talkSPORT that Arsenal "might have to overpay certain players" to convince them to join.
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