Will Arsenal regret not adding a new midfielder or not?
Of all the drama that unfolded on the transfer deadline day, not being able to add a new midfielder might come back to haunt Arsenal.
The Gunners were unable to strike a deal with their Premier League counterparts Aston Villa for the signing of Douglas Luiz.
Their three bids, with the last one being £25 million was rejected by The Villains, as they stood firm on their stance of not selling the Brazilian on deadline day.
The North London outfit were confident of doing a deal with Villa, due to the player’s contractual situation and Edu’s working relationship with Luiz’s agent Kia Joorabchian.
Now, Arsenal find themselves with only two defensive midfielders in Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga. After the latter’s arrival last summer, the young Belgian has failed to establish himself as an influential piece in Arteta’s puzzle.
Last season, the midfielder only started 12 games in the Premier League for the team. This season he has only started one, which came in the midweek game against Steven Gerrard’s outfit, a few days ago.
Despite the doubts, the 22-year-old had a good game at the Emirates Stadium, in which Arsenal didn’t really look like a weakened side.
Regardless, I would still like to see Thomas Partey starting the Premier League games instead of Lokonga. Even though Lokonga is a good player, I think he will struggle against physical Premier League sides who opt for a high press.
To look from an optimistic lens, getting more minutes will be invaluable for Lokonga’s development, who will be hoping to impress the Arsenal manager as well as the fans.
I am pretty more relaxed for the other position at central midfield, where Arteta has deployed a number eight. Xhaka has been brilliant there, and I think the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira and even Emile Smith Rowe can play to an equal or an even better effect.
Despite being light at the center of the park, Arsenal still have the numbers to plug the socket for the time being. It is also worth considering that this is not a normal season.
This is a mid-season World Cup campaign, where the club football will only continue until mid-November. Thus, I believe we have enough bodies to make it to November in one piece.