old attacker reveals he “would love to play” for Mikel Arteta’s side

Bayer Leverkusen attacker Malik Tillman has named Arsenal as the Premier League club he would “love to play for” and believes he would relish working under head coach Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners have transformed into regular Premier League title contenders under Arteta in recent years and they are currently in contention to win an unprecedented quadruple this season, as they are still going strong in the Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup, reaching the final of the latter competition.

Arsenal boosted their hopes of winning a first top-flight title for more than two decades after easing to a 4-1 away victory over rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby on Sunday, moving five points clear of challengers Man City, albeit having played a game more.

Arteta is currently working with one of the strongest squads in Europe that is blessed with at least two top-draw players for each position, but that has not stopped the rumour mill linking the Gunners with summer reinforcements.

United States international Tillman is one player who could seemingly be swayed into a high-profile move to the Emirates Stadium if the opportunity arises.

Tillman “would love to play” for Arsenal and praises Arteta

Speaking in an interview with Bleacher Report Football, Tillman was asked to name his favourite team in the Premier League, and he said: "It's a tough one. I don't have a favourite team, but if there's one club I would love to play for, it's Arsenal."

Explaining his reasons for wanting to play for the Gunners, Tillman added: "One thing is the way they play now. I think they have a great coach, they have a great system and I think I would fit into it.

“Also, one of my ex-teammates is a big Arsenal fan, so he got me into them as well.”

When asked about the criticism Arsenal have received about their style of play, Tillman said: "Obviously, they score a lot of goals from set-pieces, but that's also a part of the game. If you watch them in the Champions League, it's a different style of play.

"The Premier League has also changed a little bit in the way teams play against them or play in general, so obviously, they have to adapt, but if you watch the Champions League games, it's a different Arsenal."

Who is Malik Tillman and could he be on Arsenal’s radar?

Tillman was born in Nuremberg, Germany but he has earned 26 international caps for the United States and was eligible to represent the Stars and Stripes through his American-born father.

The versatile attacking midfielder began his youth career at Bayern Munich, but he made just seven first-team appearances for the German giants before impressing on loan at Rangers and PSV Eindhoven.

Tillman joined PSV permanently in the summer of 2024 and contributed to 21 goals (16 goals, five assists) in 34 appearances. He was subsequently named in the 2024-25 Eredivisie Team of the Season after helping the club retain the title.

His impressive form for PSV was rewarded with a €35m transfer to Bayer Leverkusen last summer, with the attacker viewed by former boss Erik ten Hag as a suitable replacement for Florian Wirtz, who joined Liverpool.

However, Tillman has chipped in with six goals and one assist in 28 games for Leverkusen and has only shown glimpses of his talent back in Germany, so some will argue that he has not developed enough to warrant discussion around such a high-profile switch to clubs including Arsenal.

The addition of a new attack-minded midfielder is also not thought to be high on Arteta's summer wishlist, given he already has Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze and Kai Havertz at his disposal.

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