The new Premier League season kicks off this weekend, and Arsenal still haven’t addressed their pressing need of acquiring an elite attacking midfielder armed in providing them with the creative abilities to take their game under Mikel Arteta to the next level.
Their pre-season friendly defeat to rivals Tottenham Hotspur was a game which showed a lot of promise, especially the new signings Ben White and Albert Sambi Lokonga who both put in dominant and assured performances as they continue the acclimatization into their new surroundings.
However, it was a game which looked all to familiar for Arsenal’s supporters, a lot of nice intricate passing around the final third without some real penetration to complement it. Emile Smith-Rowe has been a lovely sight for Arsenal fans, and a welcome one too. A very talented and fresh addition straight from the academy, but he cannot be relied upon to drive Arsenal into that brand new era, its too much responsibility and weight on his shoulders.
Both he and Bukayo Saka need help in those areas.
How the Gunners need the qualities of Mesut Ozil (in his prime), Cesc Fabregas or even Santi Cazorla again, players who were blessed in creating the unthinkable.
You hand them the ball in those dangerous areas, and its as if time stands still. That’s what Mikel Arteta needs right now, its what Arsenal need in order to challenge for those top four places again, or to go even further.
Arsenal are arguably in the same position Manchester United were before January 2020, lacking that incision and precision in the final third before they went out and ferociously addressed that burning desire, signing Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon. Since then, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s fortunes as Manchester United boss has dramatically changed – they’re on the upward curve.
Mikel Arteta needs to go out do the same, regardless of the potential risk and cost. Leicester City’s James Maddison is reportedly a top target, however Brendan Rodgers is in no pressure to sell and it would take in the regions of £70m to prize him away from the King Power.
It is a costly risk, one which could very much address Arsenal’s pressing need. Maddison is indeed one of the Premier League’s most reliable creators, especially in those final third areas, as shown above. But, Leicester City are unlikely to sell one of their most prized assets, especially so close to the start of the new season, and without a readied replacement.
Alternatives will need to be considered at the Emirates, quality ones too. So here’s a few cheaper, more attainable and arguably more acquired tastes that could blend in with Arsenal’s game perfectly:
Daichi Kamada, Eintracht Frankfurt
Arguably the best performing Asian footballer in Europe over the past year. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Japanese magician Daichi Kamada is a stunning footballer, an efficient workhorse and a creative maestro.
Have a look at Frankfurt’s attacks and you’ll see how pivotal Kamada is, he is at the centre of almost everything.
His movement, the positions he picks up, the space he occupies and the passes he delivers is simply sublime and a testament to his extraordinary understanding and nous when it comes to creating chances for his teammates.
The Japanese international may be something of an unknown quantity to some Arsenal supporters, but he’s a player who currently deserves some rich acclaim and attention right now.
5 goals and 12 assists in the Bundesliga last season, as Frankfurt narrowly missed out on an unprecedented Champions League place on the last day of the season. However, it was a stunning campaign for the club and for Kamada personally, and the Japanese is sure to be on a number of top club’s list of targets this summer.
Mikel Arteta would do exceptionally well to consider targeting the source of Frankfurt’s goals.
Kamada is one of those players who manages to be technically impressive without being flamboyant. Carries the ball neatly, with some sumptuous little touches and swift shifts in direction, and he exploits passing angles and lanes in the attacking third in a way that’s so clever, intricate but unusual.
He’s a unique player, and another one who deserves to test himself at the highest level. 2.90 final third passes, 1.8 key passes and an astonishing 4.05 shot-creating actions per 90 highlights his incredible efficiency and effectiveness in the final third. Kamada has so much to offer, not only in his skill, tenaciousness and technical qualities but in his application and willingness to learn and improve.
Lorenzo Pellegrini, AS Roma
Yet another uniquely gifted midfielder who surprisingly still graces the Stadio Olimpico.
Lorenzo Pellegrini is a Champions League-quality midfielder, who deserves to be playing at the highest level for one of Europe’s most prestigious clubs. It’s a shocking surprise that no top club in Europe has managed to trigger his relatively low release clause which stands at around €30million.
Lorenzo Pellegrini would represent an outstanding acquisition for Mikel Arteta simply because of his devastating abilities in the final third. Pellegrini is a creative magician, a technically savvy orchestrator.
The 25-year old would be Arsenal’s very own ‘Bruno Fernandes-type signing’. A player who will fit in swiftly and seamlessly without no bedding-in period, without no teething issues because he is simply that intelligent, classy and decisive.
Traditionally an attacking midfielder, Lorenzo Pellegrini holds all the tools necessary to play anywhere across the midfield. As a deep-lying no.6, a roaming no. 8 and a play-making, creative no.10.
In Paulo Fonseca’s system, he played the attacking midfield role, as a no.10 in their 4-2-3-1 shape or 3-4-2-1, operating just behind Edin Dzeko.
This role allowed him to become the team’s main source of creativity and a hub in which every attacking player can link with. While teams in the current age, have their main creative hubs in the deep-lying positions in front of the defence, Roma’s orchestrator is Lorenzo Pellegrini at no.10.
As well as possessing the qualities to perform in a traditional no.10 role, he’s a more unorthodox attacking midfielder, regularly drifting into the wide areas or half-spaces. It keeps defensive midfielders and the back-line guessing, also causing a state of disruption and panic in their defensive shape.
Arsenal regularly deploy the 4-2-3-1 shape, in which Pellegrini could easily slot in behind the lone frontman. It could well mean Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang returns to the role up-front, simply because of Pellegrini’s superb ability to pick the unthinkable eye-of-the-needle passes.
The Italian would have been another key figure for European Champions Italy this summer had he not picked up an injury just before the tournament got underway, but he’s a player many cannot ignore.
2.18 key passes, 3.98 final third passes, 4.36 progressive passes and 1.42 passes into the 18-yard box per 90 just highlights Pellegrini’s astonishing abilities to dissect opposition defences at will. A no-brainer acquisition for Arsenal.
Houssem Aouar, Lyon
How Houssem Aouar is not on Arsenal’s list of priorities to fill that no.10 position is simply baffling, even to the Arsenal faithful. It may well be in part because of his latest disciplinary issues at Lyon, however, it is clear the player desires a new challenge elsewhere and Lyon are indeed resigned to losing him in the the near future.
It is an opportunity Arsenal cannot afford to pass up on. Houssem Aouar is a player blessed with such extraordinary technical qualities.
A meticulous ball-player, harnessing the uniqueness of when to hold on to the ball, and when to release it. His amazing sense of gravity and close control means its difficult for his markers to have an understanding of where he’s going or when to dispossess him.
Mikel Arteta craves a player who goes about performing risks in the final third, or taking people on to create space for himself and his forwards. Aouar possesses those unique qualities. He averaged 7.00 progressive carries and 2.47 carries into the final third last season, better than all of Arsenal’s attacking options.
The midfielder also holds such fantastic spatial awareness and capacity to switch directions in an instant. If he finds there’s nowhere to go when dribbling, he’ll instantly change direction with a swift drop of the shoulder and such crisp close control.
Whenever, the ball is at Aouar’s feet, his teammates know something special is about to happen especially within the attacking third. Per 90 last season, he averaged 6 passes into the final third meaning he plays risky passes with such considerable regularity. Stats serving as a true indication as to his incredible expertise in creating chances, further shown through his 5.10 shot-creating actions per90 too.
The 23-year-old only recorded three assists in Ligue 1 last year which is very surprising considering his invention and imagination in the final third, but he’s importance and influence in those areas for Lyon were very stark.
As soon as he picks up the ball, he already has a picture of what he’s going to do, whether to dribble past opponents, or dissect an eye of the needle pass to his forwards. No matter the amount of opponents around him, Aouar holds the balance, silky footwork and quickness of thought required to conjure up magic despite being under pressure.
His ball-carrying capabilities could prove vital to Arsenal’s system, allowing them to get out of trouble but most importantly in creating opportunities and openings in the final third.
Houssem Aouar is also a meticulous and imaginative number 8, and if 4-3-3 really is Arteta’s preferred formation then the French international will potentially fit in seamlessly.
Marcel Sabitzer, RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig’s new coach Jesse Marsch admitted that midfield dynamo Marcel Sabitzer’s future will lie away from Leipzig in the near future, and considering the price the Austrian is currently valued at, Arsenal would do very very well in recruiting his services.
The 26-year-old is available for a cut-price deal at just €18million, an extraordinary bargain, and whoever captures him could well be rewarded with the ‘smartest buy of the summer’ gong.
Marcel Sabitzer is a wonderful midfield performer, but a very orthodox one. To the eye, he’s your regular midfielder who is energetic, technically very good and has a good eye for the pass, but what stands him out so well is that he performs such roles with great application, professionalism and a real cutting edge that even the best teams on the continent would kill for.
He’s very versatile, capable of playing at no.10. at no.8, as a no.6 or even as a left-winger. Sabitzer is so good to watch. No matter where you put him on the pitch, he’ll give you his best.
Capable of cutting defences with such unerring vigour and precision, also capable of running at defences, linking well with his teammates and also holds the unique qualities of picking out the top-corner from all of about 35-yards. He is a jack-of-all-trades type player, and its no wonder new Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann is so desperate to reunite with him, after possessing his qualities for Leipzig.
Not only will be brilliant for Bayern Munich, who also desperately need his services but he’d be brilliant for Mikel Arteta. He’s very cheap, attainable and arguably a better player than James Maddison – more consistent in fact. The midfielder averaged 5.38 passes into the final third per90 despite playing in a variety of positions under Nagelsmann, but that owes to his tremendous technical acumen in creating chances no matter where he is on the pitch. Sabitzer also averaged 2.13 passes into the 18-yard box and an outstanding 7.07 progressive passes per 90.
He is not afraid in conjuring up the most outrageous, if you need any evidence, just check out his extraordinary assist for Austria at the Euros, setting up Stefan Lainer with a ridiculous long-raking pass.
It’s that sort of audaciousness in the final third that Arsenal so desperately crave.
Carlos Soler, Valencia
Mikel Arteta will almost certainly be silly if he doesn’t try and recruit a player who is his splitting image on the pitch; Valencia’s Carlos Soler.
Valencia’s creative orchestrator has been due a big move for a long while and Soler is a player ready for the big leagues.
The club are in a bit of a free-fall right now both on the pitch and off it, and are reportedly willing to listen to offers for some of their big names at cut-price deals.
If that is indeed the case, Arsenal should roll the dice and prioritize the signing of Carlos Soler. A tremendously consistent performer, even if his club isn’t registering the points they need.
It’s clear Soler deserves a club who matches his qualities and ambitions. He’s simply too good a player to not be performing on the biggest stages in Europe, whether that is Europa League or the UEFA Champions League.
Despite Valencia’s struggles last season, Soler still managed an astonishing 11 goals and 8 assists in La Liga highlighting his significance to the team, but also his extraordinary abilities.
A wonderfully gifted midfielder who always gives his all in every match he’s involved in. Soler is incredibly versatile too, capable of playing at no.10, no.8 on the flanks and a deep-lying orchestrator, he’d offer so much variation and tactical flexibility when needed.
Soler is as creative as all of the names on this list, providing eight assists last year. He is simply a superb player to watch, and has been on Arsenal’s radar before. He outperformed his expected goals and expected assists, as well as providing 0.26 assists per 90 minutes which means he is one of Europe’s most consistent creators. 1.45 key passes and 5.20 final third passes only highlights his efficiency and nous in those dangerous areas.
Where Valencia would be without Carlos Soler is a matter for another day, but it is about time he moves on from the Mestalla and embarks on a new challenge elsewhere.
Arsenal could certainly prove the most telling environment for him to thrive in.
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