Renowned transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has urged Arsenal to act swiftly and sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans on a free transfer.
Arsenal have been excellent thus far this season, making considerable progress under the discerning management of Mikel Arteta, and are in Premier League pole position after 11 matches.
Despite spending £118.9m in a summer revamp, owner Stan Kroenke is set to further appease the club with a reported £50m January budget.
The centre of the park is one notable area of interest to Edu, Arsenal’s technical director, with The Sun reporting a host of players have already been identified.
Romano, however, has implored the Gunners to hold off until the summer, and pen a deal for Leicester midfielder Tielemans, who appears unlikely to re-sign with his current club.
Writing in his column for CaughtOffside, the esteemed journalist regarded Tieleman’s situation as a ‘great opportunity’ for potential suitors.
He wrote:
‘Personally, I think Youri Tielemans coming towards the end of his contract is a great opportunity on the market for Arsenal and any other club! They decided not to pay for him this summer, but let’s see if their plans change if or when he becomes a free agent.’
Our thoughts on Arsenal’s interest in Tielemans, and Romano’s advice…
Arsenal have been reported to be interested in 21-year-old Brazilian midfielder Danilo, with a fee of roughly £25m enough to prise him away from Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras.
Whilst this would be a shrewd acquisition, and one that aligns with the Gunners’ faith in youth, Romano strikes a compelling argument that the Foxes’ tenacious central engine could be a more beneficial signing at present.
The red side of north London has returned to the surface of English football, after years of languishing below the high expectations this distinguished club expects, and the £40.5m-rated dynamo could be the glue that maintains that position.
Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers has struggled to reach the heights of previous years, but Tielemans has still radiated quality with technical prowess in the middle, ranking in the top 12% amongst his positional peers for passes completed across Europe’s top five leagues, whilst in the top 17% for progressive passes, as per FBref.
It’s perhaps little surprise to have seen him lauded as a “phenomenon” and an “outrageous talent” in the past.
His mesh of dynamism would serve Arteta’s Gunners well, with the 25-year-old ranking in the top 18% for tackles. Sofascore’s statistics of four big chances created and 2.2 tackles per game also complement his robust nature.
Arsenal should snap him up, he would slot right into a cohesive system and play a major part in the club’s revival.
