There has been a clear sign that Arsenal intend to strengthen the central midfield in the near future through prior and current links to some of the top midfielders in the game.
Last summer saw Arsenal try to sign Italian midfielder Manuel Locatelli before he opted to join Juventus after the European Championships. Granit Xhaka was close to joining Roma but with the clubs failing to agree a deal, he extended his contract in north London instead.
Despite this, football.london understands that Roma are expected to return in the summer which would open up the opportunity for Arsenal to replace the Swiss midfielder.
The players linked to the club provide an insight into the style of midfielder that Mikel Arteta is clearly looking for.
Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans, Wolves’ Ruben Neves and Napoli’s Fabian Ruiz would all fit perfectly into the new role that Mikel Arteta is using Granit Xhaka in.
Playing Thomas Partey as the deepest option in the midfield three of the 4-3-3 formation has pushed Xhaka into a central midfield position tasked to supply the left flank and send passes into the false nine Alexandre Lacazette.
Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard has dropped into the middle third to operate as a right-sided creative midfielder to combine with Bukayo Saka.
What Xhaka has in common with Tielemans, Ruiz and Neves is that all four lack the quick acceleration and speed that some central midfielders have. The ability to cover large areas similar to the likes of N’Golo Kante.
Thankfully, Partey’s athleticism covers this need and having a consistent passer ahead to feed the forward line is what Xhaka already gives. The difference is that all of Tielemans, Neves and Ruiz provide better technical ability on the ball.
Where Xhaka often uses his body to win fouls and relieve pressure, these players are better at taking the ball out of danger themselves and continuing to keep up the attack's threat rather than killing the play.
Fabian for instance has more than double the progressive carries than Xhaka this season with 127 compared to 55. This accounts for dribbling at least 5 yards towards the opposition goal, or carrying the ball into the penalty area, but not including any movement of the ball in the defensive 40% of the field.
There can be an obsession around associating mobility or speed with quality. Some of the best central midfielders in the world are not known for their speed.
Toni Kroos has made a career as one of Germany’s best using his passing and technical ability, without being blessed with great speed or acceleration.
In the Premier League, Liverpool’s central midfielders Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago share this trait. The same for Manchester City’s Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan. Even at Chelsea, Jorginho has risen to the heights of players in his position without possessing great pace.
Arsenal need not obsess over the speed ability. What they need to ensure is that whoever is brought in upgrades on what exists and closes the gap to their rivals. Fabian Ruiz is a great example of a player who can.
Make sure you have subscribed to The Arsenal Way! The Fan Brands team along with plenty of your football.london favourites will be producing daily Arsenal content for you to enjoy including match reactions, podcasts, football fun and interviews. You can follow Tom Canton from the TAW team to keep up to date with his work.
