Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent has claimed Paris Saint-Germain super star Lionel Messi would not even find a space to play in Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal team.
According to him, the football icon will not make it into the Arsenal starting XI, adding that Messi could only come as a substitute for Gabriel Jesus up front, but not the two wingers – Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
The Argentine superstar is being linked with a move away from PSG as a free agent this summer as his current deal with the Parisians expires in June.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently claimed that a number of Premier League clubs have entered the race to sign the 2022 World Cup winner.
Bent is warning that the Argentina captain would not get to start at Arsenal, arguing that Messi has been a passenger in games for PSG and that would not help the Gunners.
“Maybe up top instead of Jesus. But I’d keep Saka and Martinelli on the wings [over Messi], because we play a different brand of football. I’d have Messi in the squad, just to watch him,” Bent told talkSPORT.
“Messi was in a team with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar and they didn’t get anywhere near to winning the Champions League, and they are three of the best-attacking players ever. I think the game has moved on now. You can’t have passengers; everyone has to do their part.”
