Georginio Wijnaldum is reportedly open to a return to Premier League football, according to Sky Sports.
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has struggled for game-time since his move to the club for free in the summer. He has gone from an integral member of Jürgen Klopp’s side to a squad player at the star-studded PSG, a situation he is now looking to get out of.
Wijnaldum has made 20 appearances across all competitions for PSG this season with 10 coming as a starter. He has scored three goals for the French side, two of which have won valuable points for PSG as they seek to reclaim their lost Ligue 1 title from LOSC Lille this season.
Sky Sports reports that Arsenal are interested in bringing Wijnaldum back to the Premier League, especially with Thomas Partey’s impending absence from the squad in January due to the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
Wijnaldum was signed by PSG to add goals from the middle of the park to their squad, because his competition in the PSG midfield aren’t known exactly for their goalscoring.
However, he has struggled to get a starting spot in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad with the same midfielders being preferred over him.
Wijnaldum finding new squad role hard to adjust to
After a hugely impressive five-year spell at Anfield where he played 237 games and scored 22 goals in which he won the Premier League and Champions League, the Dutchman was in high demand during the summer.
Barcelona – who have turned down a chance to sign him on loan this January according to latest reports – were in the final stages of a deal with the midfielder’s entourage which PSG hijacked.
Now at PSG, Wijnaldum has shown signs of what enticed Barcelona and made PSG hijack their deal to sign him, but his style has yet struggled to oust the midfielders at the club.
Wijnaldum commented on the situation back in October 2021, after only five months at the club. The 31-year-old said that he was “not completely happy” in Paris due to his lack of playing time.
He told Dutch news outlet NOS: “I can’t say I’m completely happy, because the situation is not what I wanted.
“But that’s football and I’ll have to learn to deal with that. I’m a fighter. I have to stay positive and work hard to turn it around.
“I have played a lot in recent years, was always fit and also did very well. This is something different and that takes getting used to.
“I was really looking forward to the new step and then this happens. It is very difficult.”
A great signing for Arsenal
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has showered praises on the Dutch midfielder. The former Manchester United right back took to Twitter earlier this year to call Wijnaldum the most underrated player in the Premier League.
Another Manchester United legend and Sky Sports pundit, Paul Scholes, has also previously been full of praise for Wijnaldum.
“I think he is a player who doesn’t get probably the credit he deserves, but he has got everything in midfield,” Scholes once said after a Liverpool win last season in which Wijnaldum played a key role.
His former boss, Jürgen Klopp, has also described him as “perfect” because he fit very well into his playing style. For this reason, Wijnaldum was one of Klopp’s most fielded players during his time at Anfield.
Arsenal will end up with a solid signing who can help turn their season around if he seals a loan move to the club in January.
