Arsenal need to ensure that a season whereby they have shocked the majority of the footballing world with this season's title race does not become a one-off. The Gunners must establish themselves as regular challengers for the league and the summer transfer window is going to be critical.
Particularly is the area of midfield where the likes of Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny reach the latter stages of their peaks. Arsenal cannot afford to repeat the mistakes made by Liverpool where the midfield has regressed and they failed to respond sooner seeing them now fighting for a Europa League qualification spot.
One name that Arsenal were interested in last summer was Youri Tielemans. However, football.london understands that the club were willing to wait until this coming summer to move for the Belgian with his contract expiring and the Foxes asking for too high of a transfer fee in the context of the player’s situation.
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There have been suggestions several months on that they could still act on this interest In Tielemans. However, the Belgian’s stock has fallen considerably since last year and his relativity lacklustre displays in a Leicester side facing the prospect of relegation have not earned him too many plaudits.
football.london understands that Declan Rice is the priority candidate for the summer with the England international continuing to impress even though his side, West Ham, have struggled for form and find themselves in a similar fight to their East Midlands counterparts. Rice, however, is under contract and will cost the Gunners a serious fee.
Tielemans' allure is that he will be a free agent in the summer. Granted, the wages will be sizeable as he looks to maximise the patience in running down his deal, but a player of his level and international standing is unlikely to be short of interest.
Arsenal need to weigh up whether the left-eight role, Xhaka’s position, is somewhere that Tielemans can, firstly, improve and, secondly, be the best option on the market. The role has been questioned as to whether the style of Xhaka is indeed the best type of player to maximise its potential.
Xhaka has done a brilliant job but look to a Bernardo Silva, who has excelled for Manchester City in the position, and you can easily see what type of player might be better suited. There’s also the argument that Tielemans might block the pathway of a Charlie Patino whose ceiling could be considerably higher.
Ultimately we will have to wait to find out the answer from the club. However, from a personal perspective, I think that were Arsenal fighting to progress into the top four places would have suited the free move for Tielemans, but one looking to establish itself back at the top table should be now looking at somebody who can offer them something now or in the not so distant future an output that matches that aim better than the Belgian would.
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