During the summer transfer window, Arsenal's hunt to sign a central midfielder was well-documented. One of the names high on Edu's list of targets was Leicester City star Youri Tielemans.
football.london reported during the window that the Belgian was keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium and that he would be willing to see out the last year of his Leicester contract before sealing a move. Though if a rival made an offer this summer, Arsenal would make a move.
Three months after the end of the summer transfer window, Arsenal have been given a perfect final scouting chance to sign Tielemans. This came after the midfielder was selected In Belgium’s World Cup squad ahead of the tournament that took place in Qatar.
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The Gunners need to sign a midfielder due to a lack of depth and quality in the middle of the park, with Arteta admitting they lacked depth after the loss against Brighton in the Carabao Cup. CBS Sports reported earlier in the season that Tielemans would be available for £30million. However, a deal failed to materialise in the summer window as Arteta's side 'cooled' their interest in the Belgian earlier in the market, according to Sky Sports.
Tielemans could be extremely useful for Arsenal as Edu must look to sign more midfield reinforcements. Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey are two players whose place in the team are currently untouchable. Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohammed Elneny are the two backup players, but their levels in terms of experience and quality do not compare with the two starters.
With Partey already missing a couple of games this season, it has sent a reminder that Arsenal need to address the strength in depth of the midfield department. His value was already highlighted in this campaign when Arteta’s side travelled to Old Trafford on the back of five consecutive wins. Arsenal struggled in the midfield against United, and ultimately lost 3-1 as Albert Sambi Lokonga came in to replace Partey, proving that without the Ghanaian in the team, the Gunners become a much weaker force.
Tielemans was an option to bridge the quality gap, and a deal could be easier to complete as the midfielder is yet to sign a new contract, with his current deal at the King Power Stadium expiring at the end of the next season.
However, after a disastrous World Cup with Belgium, this could prevent Edu from making a move in January. Tielemans was substituted at half-time in the Red Devils’ opener against Canada, and he would fail to make another start in the tournament.
As a consequence of Belgium’s disappointing group stage, it meant that they were knocked out of the competition without reaching the knockout stages despite being one of the favourites to lift the trophy on December 18.
With January fast approaching, Tielemans has not put himself in a good position to get snapped up by a top club in the winter transfer window. The World Cup highlighted that it may be necessary for Edu to explore the transfer of a different midfielder.
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