PSV Eindhoven star Ismael Saibari has been warned over potentially joining Arsenal this summer, because of their strength in depth.
Khalid Boulahrouz provides the warning via PSV Fansinsisting that Arsenal’s talented squad could be a major problem for the 25-year-old.
Boulahrouz has been speaking about the PSV forward this week on Rondo. Sport Witness have already covered his comments, advising the player to look at a move to Tottenham this summer.
Arsenal competition too great
And, as part of that conversation, he also advised against a move to their rivals Arsenal. The former Dutch defender feels Saibari could find himself sidelined quickly at the Emirates.
“I would go to a team where I would be important,” he said.
“(At Arsenal) you end up in midfield with Eberechi Eze, with Martin Ødegaard, you name it. It’s going to be a tight squeeze.
“Although I’m not saying he can’t handle that level. But look at Tijjani Reijnders at (Manchester) City. That’s a tight squeeze too. You’ll end up in the Premier League quite easily. Or maybe Spain.
“Borussia Dortmund? I think that’s a nice team for him too. That would suit Saibari well,” concluded the former Dutch international.
Arsenal links aren’t new
Boulahrouz’s comments certainly fly in the face of what his fellow analysts in the Netherlands have been saying for some time.
Rene van der Gijp, for example, has been on a one-man mission to get Ismael Saibari to Arsenal since 2024.
He first backed the forward for the move at that point and then doubled down on it again last year. Then he was back at it in February this year, with the move appearing to become something of an obsession for him.
Boulahrouz, though, seems to think differently. His feeling seems to be that the forward needs to head to the middle of the Premier League, not the top. His argument about competition for places at Arsenal is certainly a valid one.
The question, though, is who wants Saibari this summer. His stock is certainly high, and the growing consensus is that he will leave PSV Eindhoven in the coming months.
