Ray Parlour has given Arsenal his seal of approval to sign Morgan Rogers and Eli Junior Kroupi for an expected combined fee of £170million. The Gunners could spend close to their record £250m outlay from last year this summer in an effort to defend their Premier League crown.
Manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta are believed to be prioritising signing a left winger, while a second striker is also of interest. Bournemouth’s Kroupi, who scored the goal against Manchester City to hand Arsenal the title last month, represents the latter and would cost around £86m, according to various reports.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s Rogers is understood to be one of the first names on Arteta’s wishlist, given his ferocious running power, dribbling and versatility, capable of playing both on the left wing and in central midfield. Gunners legend Parlour believes the English champions would get their money’s worth by landing Rogers in the transfer window, with Villa reportedly demanding £80m to part ways with the 23-year-old.
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Parlour exclusively told Mirror Football at the launch of E.ON Next’s ‘Watch and Wash’ World Cup campaign: “Kroupi’s a very good, talented player, there’s no doubt about that. He’s a young player, and you know Mikel Arteta can make players even better when they’re young, so that would be a good signing.”
Shifting his attention to Rogers, Parlour spoke glowingly about the Villa talisman but acknowledged how his arrival could disrupt the squad harmony Arteta has so intricately built up to now. That’s because Rogers would essentially take up the majority of Trossard and Martinelli’s minutes on the left flank, or result in their sales altogether, due to their mixed form in recent years.
The former Invincible said: “I think Rogers is a fantastic player. He can play off the left-hand side as well. I think we need someone off the left.
“I don’t know what will happen with Trossard or Martinelli, but Rogers can play in the No. 10 role as well, which he’s done very well at Aston Villa. I’m interested to see where Rogers plays for England at the World Cup.”
View 3 ImagesEli Junior Kroupi could cost around £86m(Image: Getty Images)
Parlour, along with England icons Jermain Defoe and Toni Duggan, recently teamed up with E.ON for the launch of ‘Watch and Wash’. The trio are encouraging football fans to lower their bills by doing the washing during this summer’s nighttime matches, when 8million fans will be setting their alarms for important World Cup games. Switching to a time-of-use tariff offers lower electricity prices during off-peak hours.
To help spread the word, the three legends got back in their training kit and took part in a series of three laundry-themed football challenges – Top Washing Bins, The Smart Energy Shoot Out and Spin and Score – to illustrate how fans could collectively save more than £93m on their bill through off-peak electricity use with Next Smart Saver.
View 3 ImagesToni Duggan, Jermain Defoe and Ray Parlour team up to launch ‘Watch and Wash’ with E.ON Next(Image: E.ON Next)
Parlour said: “What E.On are trying to do is to encourage people to watch and wash because a lot of games are going to be late at night and in the early hours of the morning. So it’s a situation where electricity is cheaper at night. We’ll all be getting up early as England play anyway, I certainly will be, and they are saying there’s an opportunity while you are watching the football to put your wash on and it can save money.
“The cost of living is going up and it’s just that little bit of help really. When we wake up we’re going to watch the game. Why not put your washing on in the early hours of the morning or late at night? It can save you a little bit on your electricity bill.”
This Summer E.ON Next is encouraging people to get their washing done when they’re up watching football at night, to take advantage of cheaper off-peak electricity prices. New ‘Watch and Wash’ campaign launches as it’s revealed the nation could save £93 million collectively if they washed and watched this summer with the Next Smart Saver tariff.
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