Former Bristol City and Brentford goalkeeper Daniel Bentley is wanted by Premier League giants Arsenal this summer and the Gunners have even submitted a bid for the shot-stopper, according to the latest reports.
Bentley joined Brentford for £1.1 million back in 2016 when the club were still in the Championship and was their number ‘1’ goalkeeper for three campaigns in a row before the Bees eventually bought David Raya from Blackburn Rovers. Coincidentally, the latter is currently plying his trade at the Emirates Stadium after his permanent switch to North London was confirmed last week.
Nevertheless, upon Raya’s arrival at Brentford, Bentley was eventually sold to Bristol City for an undisclosed fee and penned a four-year deal with the Robins. During his time at Ashton Gate, the keeper was the first-choice between the sticks and went on to make 143 appearances in all competitions.
However, academy product Max O’Leary overtook Bentley in the starting lineup during the 2022/23 campaign and the latter decided it was time to leave the club when Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers came knocking in January 2023.
Bentley has played merely a handful of games since moving to Molineux, nine in total, including seven in the Premier League, and has primarily acted as a backup to Wolves’ main goalkeeper Jose Sa. But, with his contract expiring in 12 months, there has been some incredibly unprecedented interest from Arsenal.
The Athletic revealed earlier this week that the Gunners had contacted Wolves over a potential deal involving Bentley, who came through the club’s academy. Furthermore, The Evening Standard released a report on Wednesday morning, claiming that Arsenal had submitted a bid worth just £50,000, although this has been swiftly rejected by the Midlands club as it is way off their valuation.
Writer’s View
Bentley currently boasts a market value of £1.7 million, as per Transfermarkt, which makes Arsenal’s lowly bid rather hysterical. The three-time Premier League winners will need to submit a significantly improved offer if they want to take Bentley away from Molineux.
This wouldn’t be a terrible signing for the North London club. Bentley will count as a homegrown player and came out of the club’s youth system which ticks a lot of boxes. Furthermore, he proved he could be a reliable goalkeeper during his stints at Southend United, Bristol City and Brentford. However, he’s unlikely to receive much game-time if any at all with Arsenal.
Deputy Head of Writing