Arsenal could secure the services of Andres Iniesta's successor with the acquisition of Riqui Puig from Barcelona.
Despite the Spanish midfielder being highly touted as one of the Catalan club's best youth products, he has found game time under Ronald Koeman and Xavi Hernandez hard to come by.
According to The Athletic, the Gunners were interested in signing the midfielder in the January transfer window of 2021 but instead opted for Martin Odegaard, who has so far turned out to be a success.
However, with the urgent issues Mikel Arteta’s side currently has in the middle of the park, the north London club could reignite their interest in the midfielder.
Arsenal are in desperate need of a top-quality midfielder who has the ability to pivot alongside Thomas Partey.
The Ghanaian has endured a slow adaption to the Premier League but has shown glimpses of quality during his time with Arsenal, and these moments of excellence will become more of a regular theme if he has a quality central midfielder playing alongside him.
A lack of quality is not the sole reason as to why Arsenal are looking to bring in players who operate in this area, but it is also due to the lack of options currently at Arteta's disposal.
Albert Sambi Lokonga still needs time to mature as a player, which will allow him to compete with the best players in the league, while Granit Xhaka can’t be trusted due to his constant suspension issues.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Elneny and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are both likely to depart the club on a permanent deal at the end of the season with their contract situations reaching a precarious stage, and this would leave only three senior central midfielders at the club.
Puig could certainly slot into the Arsenal midfield, and this is a notion that has been supported by former Arsenal player Cesc Fabregas, who is extremely intelligent with his football knowledge.
"Riqui can become like Iniesta, for example, if coaches trust him. I know that comparing him with Andres are big words but such a player could cost a fortune on today's market," Cesc said.
"I'm sure Riqui has what it takes to succeed, he just has to have the right attitude and keep improving."
While Puig may have the ability, he has previously been criticised by Koeman for his lack of effort, which may keep Edu away from completing the deal, however.
"I like people who work every day to improve, and who take opportunities with both hands. Sometimes it's not just about quality," Koeman explained.
"There may be players who don't do enough in training for the coach to give opportunities."
Arteta has previously touched on the importance of team togetherness, and this could have been a reason why Odegaard was chosen over Puig in the last January transfer window.
However, with the difficulties in finalising a deal for Arthur Melo from Juventus, Puig could be viewed as an alternative that would still improve the Arsenal squad.
With a value of just over £8 million according to Transfermarkt, the club wouldn't need to break the bank either.
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