Arsenal must go all out to beat Man City to sign Ousmane Diomande

Arsenal are set to make another offer for defender Ousmane Diomande

Transfer window activity is integral to a football club’s medium to long-term success. You only need to look at the disparity between Brighton, Everton, Chelsea and Arsenal. Nobody is saying Arsenal has performed miracles on a shoestring budget, but the truth is that they have barely matched the same level of expenditure as Everton, who are, by every measure, worse off than they were before a billionaire bought them out.

Over the last 12 months, Chelsea has put their foot on the accelerator, spending exorbitant sums, and are less impressive than they have been for 20 years. Brighton has a net spend less than that of some teams in the third tier of English football, but they go to Old Trafford and play Manchester United off the park.

Arsenal fits somewhere on the more optimistic end of this scale. Despite spending big on players, they’ve bought the right players. After coming within a whisker of lifting the Premier League last season and considering Arteta’s domestic cup record, they have bought very wisely.

Going into this season, analysts and fans believe that Arsenal only needed one or two key signings for them to push Manchester City again. Ousmane Diomande is a giant of a centre half; the teenage Ivory Coast international has been linked with both Manchester City and Arsenal, and a host of other top clubs in Europe. If Arsenal can pip the current domestic treble winners to his signature, he could be the key for them lifting their first title since 2004 — but how much money will it take for Sporting Lisbon to part ways with their exciting, precocious defensive talent?

How much does Arsenal need Diomande?

After bringing in significant midfield strength in Kai Havertz and Declan Rice, their big-money defensive signing Jurriën Timber limped off with a serious injury to his anterior cruciate ligament. With such a big blow in defence, there’s now the extra impetus for Arsenal to try and land Diomande’s signature.

Looking at Arsenal’s congested upcoming fixture list in Europe and domestically, Arteta will be kicking himself that their investment in Timber has suffered such a severe and early setback. If Arsenal can get through their upcoming Champions League games and make it to the knockout stages, they could persuade the Ivory Coast international to make the trip across Europe and ply his trade at the Emirates.

Still, with Manchester City also looking to convince him to sign, it’ll be difficult for Arteta to persuade Diomande to choose London over North West England, given the highly successful, fine-tuned footballing engine that Guardiola currently oversees at the Etihad. Social media rumours are easy to get drawn into, but if the current rumours circulating are of any interest, Diomande has repeatedly stated that he is happy in Lisbon.

What arguments could Arteta use to convince Diomande?

Looking at both teams, you’d think that Arteta could actually argue that Pep is due to leave his position at City soon. Many believe he is heading into the last season or two after dominating English and now European football for the last half a decade. It could be a changing of the guard, which historically has caused issues for clubs. On the other hand, a young, hungry manager who appears to be on the precipice of achieving something extraordinary with this current setup could turn the defenders’ head, too.

The inclusion of Diomande into this setup could easily act as the catalyst to put the North London club at the top of the English game, but the Spaniard will need to play his cards right to ensure they don’t overspend. Following an unconvincing draw in the derby, with mistakes in Arsenal’s half costing them dearly, it could be difficult to value just how much Diomande could bring to this team.

Final thoughts

Suppose Arteta can sell the bigger project to Diomande, and the board can go in with a bid north of £50m. In that case, you’d imagine that the Ivory Coast star could be persuaded to make his way to the Emirates. Fending off interest from Manchester City is the most important part of this proposed deal, and if they can do that, then January could be a huge window.

Although many clubs don’t like bringing in players in January, given that Timber could still be sidelined in that period, a significant addition or two could inject what is needed to give the Gooners that extra push and get them over the finish line in a way they missed out on last year.