Arsenal are claimed to have focused their attentions onto just five potential midfield signings this summer, including four currently operating in the Premier League.
The Gunners are tipped to splash out once again during the coming window, having been the biggest spenders in the division when the transfer window come to a close on August 31.
We may not be the biggest spenders this time around, but you can guarantee that there will be new signings brought in, with a big-name striker expected to be at the top of our wishlist, a new central midfielder, and potentially a new winger, second striker or right-back also possibilities depending on who becomes available to us.
Our efforts to bolster our midfield have apparently become more focused in recent weeks and we have now decided to focus our efforts on just five options as we look to find the ideal partner for Thomas Partey in the middle of the park.
Youri Tielemans is my pick of the bunch. His current contract is supposedly entering it’s final 12 months come the summer, which could well see him become available for a reasonable fee, but it is his impressive ability and potential that excites me most. Some may be shocked to learn that he is just 24 years-old, having shown to be an experienced midfielder in the middle of the park since joining Leicester in 2019. He has it all, from defensive stability, passing range as well as an eye for goal. The only possible issue is that he could well be seen as too similar in playing style to Partey, although with the right understanding, there is no reason that it shouldn’t work.
Leeds Kalvin Phillips is my next best of the five, as revealed by CaughtOffside, with him showing that he can be an extremely effective holding midfielder as well as proving that he has other key attributes further up the field, and could well be the most ideal partner for our Ghanaian.
Wolves Ruben Neves, Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz and Napoli’s Fabian Ruiz are the three that make up the remaining places on our shortlist at present, all of which would surely improve our team, and are all worthy of getting excited about in different ways.
Interestingly, while we have mostly been linked with very young players, each of these are all experienced beyond their years, whilst not being too young to make an immediate impact, and I feel like signing one of the five would be a signal of intent that they are looking to make a big impact next season, less for the future as some of our most recent signings have appeared to be.
Which of the five do you think would be best suited to partner Partey in midfield?
Patrick