Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong has recently revealed his admiration for the Gunners, with the Dutch midfielder linked with a transfer in the January window.
Barcelona find themselves buried in debt and needing to reduce their huge wage bill, meaning star players such as de Jong could be let go in January as the Spanish giants look to cut their spending.
De Jong is one of Europe's most promising talents and would likely fetch a significant transfer fee, with Transfermarkt valuing him at £81million, whilst the 24-year-old could also demand a hefty wage. De Jong played a pivotal role in the Ajax side that reached the Champions League in 2019, before making the move to Barcelona for £75million.
But if de Jong was to make a shock move to Arsenal in January, what sort of impact could he have on Mikel Arteta's side?
Could the Dutch midfielder help the Gunners qualify for the Champions League?
We simulated the rest of the season with de Jong in the Gunners' squad and this is what happened.
We 'signed' Frenkie de Jong for Arsenal in January 2022
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for de Jong to join Arsenal at the start of the January 2022 transfer window, using FM22 to run the simulation.
This is how de Jong's in-game profile looks on FM22.
The 24-year-old excels in his technical ability with 16 dribbling, 16 passing and 16 technique, whilst also having incredible mental attributes with 17 anticipation, 16 composure, 17 teamwork and 18 vision.
These attributes make de Jong one of the most technically gifted midfielders in Europe, with the potential to improve further.
Let's take a look at how de Jong performed throughout the second half of the 2021/22 season after signing for Arsenal in January 2022.
Frenkie de Jong scored five goals and registered 10 assists in 22 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions in our simulated half-season.
The 24-year-old was utilised as a box-to-box midfielder under Arteta and provided the second-most assists across all competitions at the club, only behind Bukayo Saka (13).
The Dutchman recorded an average match rating of 7.60 after joining the club in January, ranking him as the best performer at the club, ahead of the likes of Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe.
De Jong had the highest pass completion rate per 90 minutes (89%), tackles per 90 minutes (1.91), key passes per 90 minutes (1.85) and distance covered per 90 minutes (13.8km) out of any other Arsenal midfielder in all competitions.
At the end of the 2021/22 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics.
This is what Arsenal's best XI looked like at the end of the 2021/22 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
Full Arsenal best XI (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, de Jong; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Lacazette.
Frenkie de Jong made it into the Arsenal best XI partnering Thomas Partey in defensive midfield, replacing the likes of Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga in the holding midfield role.
So, how did Arsenal perform in the league and cup competitions after signing de Jong in the January transfer window?
Arsenal's results from the 2021/22 simulation
Arsenal finished fourth in the Premier League 2021/22 season, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since the 2015/16 season.
The Gunners only lost one Premier League match after de Jong moved to the club on January 1, 2022, highlighting the impact the Dutch midfielder had on Arsenal's performance and run of form to finish in the top four.
Compared to last season, Arsenal finished the 2021/22 season with 13 points more, four league positions higher and with a better goal difference by +7.
So, how did the Gunners perform in the cup competitions?
Arsenal were knocked out of the Carabao Cup semi-final to north London rivals Spurs 1-0 over two legs, and could only reach the quarter-finals in the FA Cup before suffering a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Southampton.
But overall this Football Manager simulation predicts that if Arsenal were to sign Frenkie de Jong, the midfielder could have an amazing impact on the Gunners' squad, scoring five goals and registering 10 assists as the 24-year-old helped Arteta's side secure Champions League football for the 2022/23 season.
De Jong ranked as the best performer at the club, recording an average match rating of 7.60, showing how impressive and consistent his performances were as Arsenal only lost one league game following his signing in January.
Would you like to see Frenkie de Jong sign for Arsenal? Let us know in the comments!
