Although Lucas Paqueta appears to be slipping away from Arsenal, there is no need for the Gunners to lick their wounds for too long.
West Ham are in pole position to sign the Brazilian playmaker from Lyon and have submitted a €40million (£34m) offer to try and get the deal over the line before the summer transfer window deadline on 1 September. Irons manager David Moyes confirmed his side have tabled a bid during his press conference on Wednesday and highlighted the variety of roles Paqueta can flourish in.
"He can play as a number 10, an eight, and he plays as a false-nine for Brazil quite often. I think his pedigree is really good," Moyes said. "Pedigree doesn't always guarantee that it works, but you would hope that it helps towards him possibly getting better."
If Moyes' verdict is anything to go by, then Arsenal will be bitterly disappointed to have missed out on a player they have been linked with for much of the summer. The North London club are understood to be on the hunt for a new option in central midfield after offloading Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi.
However, it is easy to forget the wealth of quality options at Mikel Arteta's disposal in the centre of the park. Fabio Vieira and Oleksandr Zinchenko arrived at the Emirates this summer to bolster the Spaniard's midfield ranks, even though the latter has been used as a left-back to great effect so far this season.
The duo join Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Albert Sambi Lokonga as players who can perform to a high level in the engine room, while another quality player some fans may have forgotten about is Mohamed Elneny. The Egyptian has struggled for consistency and game time throughout many of his six years on the club's books but proved his worth towards the end of last season.
Elneny was a surprise inclusion in the starting XI as Arsenal defeated Chelsea 4-2 in April and went on to play 90 minutes in each of the Gunners' next six games, right up to the end of the campaign. His performances earned him a contract extension and lavish praise from Arteta, who labelled Elneny a "phenomenal person and a great player".
Do Arsenal need to sign a midfielder before the transfer window shuts? Have your say in the comments!
The former Basel star is yet to feature in the Premier League this season and has had to settle for a spot on the bench throughout Arsenal's winning start. Nonetheless, he has shown what he has to offer and it would be a shame for him to slip further down the midfield pecking order due to his club's transfer business.
Paqueta does, of course, usually operate in a more advanced role but it is hard to see where he would fit in ahead of Martin Odegaard and his deputy, Emile Smith Rowe, meaning he may have operated largely in a box-to-box capacity for the Gunners. As it happens, West Ham are winning the race for the 24-year-old, which may will lead to Elneny having another opportunity to remind Arteta and fans of what he can contribute in what is already looking like a very promising season for Arsenal.
