Bayer Leverkusen chief makes Arsenal transfer admission and bold Champions League prediction

Arsenal are competing on all fronts this season, with the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup all still up for grabs

The Bayer Leverkusen sporting director has tipped Arsenal as favourites to win both the Premier League and the Champions League this season. The Gunners, who are currently leading the Premier League title race, will face the Bundesliga outfit in the first leg of the Champions League last-16.

Next month, Leverkusen will host Mikel Arteta’s side at the BayArena before Arsenal return the favour a week later. The two clubs will battle it out for a place in the quarter-final, where they will lock horns with either Bodo/Glimt or Sporting CP.

If the Gunners manage to make it as far as the semi-final, they could come up against Tottenham Hotspur – so long as they overcome Atletico Madrid at the first hurdle and beat one of Newcastle United or Barcelona.

Following the draw on Friday morning, the Leverkusen sporting director heaped praise on Arsenal, who finished top of the group phase and were the only team to win all eight of their matches.

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“I was delighted with the draw,” said Simon Rolfes, as quoted by the Metro. “From a sporting perspective, both are obviously top opponents, but firstly, we’re facing two of our former players in Kai Havertz and Piero Hincapie, and secondly, we’re playing internationally.

“That’s what you compete for in the Champions League. They [Arsenal] have an extremely good squad with a lot of physical but also technical quality, pace very well-coordinated and organised.

“They’ve actually developed their style of play a little better every season over the last few years, which is why they’re among the top favourite in the Champions League but also the Premier League.

“They’re a top opponent but it’s also fun to compete against such players.”

Arsenal signed Hincapie from Leverkusen on loan in the summer, but inserted an option-to-buy clause worth £45m. UEFA rules allow loanees to play against their parent clubs, so the defender will be eligible for selection.

When asked about Havertz, who Chelsea signed from Leverkusen for £71m in September 2020, Rolfes said: “Yes, we are in contact sometimes, I’ve already texted him so I’m sure he’ll need a lot of tickets as he comes from here, so there will certainly be contact.

“And then it’s also nice when he went to Chelsea during Covid. It was a big farewell for us, the whole transfer was the basis for the next few years and he really left something here.

“Because of Covid there was never the environment, the opportunity to say goodbye to him, even if we saw each other afterwards. But now I think it’s a very special setting for him to come back to the BayArena and for Piero [Hincapie] too, of course.

“He’s still officially our player and is only on loan at the moment but it will come to the transfer and I think for Piero it’s just as special too.”

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