COMMENT: Mikel Arteta is worried. There’s a gaping hole in the manager’s squad – and in Arsenal’s market campaign. Lucas Torreira is proof of that…
It’s been a good, if not great, summer window for Arteta and Arsenal. Marquinhos and Fabio Vieira arrive with great potential and a long list of high calibre endorsements. William Saliba, of course, returns to the Gunners a France international and Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Year. And then there’s Gabriel Jesus, who for this column, remains the signing of the summer.
For his price. For the ease with which he’ll settle. Gabriel is on track to outperform Erling Haaland at Manchester City and Liverpool’s €100m man Darwin Nunez in the opening months of the new season. No matter the player, the transition to football’s one, genuine ‘Super League’ is never a smooth process. And the whole comparison game is set up for Gabriel to come out on top – at least before the break up for Qatar 2022.
But there is a hole in Arteta’s squad. And by his actions regarding Torreira it’s evident Arsenal’s manager knows it’s one that needs filling.
Run down the Gunners spine and there’s a lot to be enthusiastic about. Aaron Ramsdale is as good as any goalkeeper in England. Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White, a partnership now under threat from the returning Saliba, offer a lot of hope. In attack, you now have Gabriel and the raw potential of Gabby Martinelli. A combination which could be leading the line for Brazil in Qatar in December.
So there’s a lot there for Arteta to work with. To build upon. But in midfield, Arsenal are short. Not on numbers so much, but personality. Leadership. Someone to boss a game. To drive and harangue teammates. And to intimidate opposition.
Think Patrick Vieira. Emmanuel Petit. Go further back to Paul Davis. They don’t grow on trees, that’s for sure. But it’s obvious this Arsenal team have long missed a personality in the middle of the pitch.
Thomas Partey was to be that player. And could still be. But injury has held back the Ghana international. Granit Xhaka? A talented player. Good enough, at one stage, to be handed the club captaincy. But not one to dominate a game.
This Arsenal midfield lacks that type of talent. They have ball-winners. They have creators. But they don’t have the total package. And Arteta, it must be said, is worried.
Why else would he block Torreira’s move to Valencia this week? The Uruguayan has been shuffled off on-loan for the past two seasons. He’s been encouraged to find himself a new club. But now, for his manager, he’s a wanted man? There’s still over six weeks of the market to run, but Arteta’s intervention does raise concern about their search for a new midfield addition.
“We have a pre-agreement with (Rino) Gattuso for Torreira to play in Valencia,” Torreira’s agent Pablo Bentancur declared on local Uruguayan radio this week. “Today there is an important meeting on this issue. Arsenal coach Arteta wants to have him in the pre-season.
“He had great numbers with Arsenal but we have pre-agreement with Valencia.”
After pushing Torreira and Bentancur to accept a permanent move to Fiorentina. After holding talks with Igli Tare, Lazio’s sporting director, about taking on the Uruguayan. Arteta’s sudden backflip does suggest some desperation within the ranks.
For the moment, Arsenal are favourites to land Youri Tielemans from Leicester City. With less than a year on his contract and with the Foxes seeking around £30m to sell, it’s a deal waiting for the Gunners to activate.
But would the Belgian be a solution? For this column, the answer would be ‘no’. Again, Tielemans is a fine player. A good talent. But his best qualities are not what Arsenal have been missing. As we say, Tielemans is there for the taking. But for now, Arsenal have not only held back, they’ve turned to blocking the forgotten Torreira from leaving for Spain.
Enquiries
have been been lodged with Tare about Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Though no actual offer has been tabled. Indeed, a source close to Tare tells this column that Claudio Lotito, the Lazio president, has had “no reason to reject anything for SMS – because nothing has arrived!” And that includes from Manchester United…
But Arsenal do hold a long standing interest in the Serb. And Edu, the club’s technical director, is an admirer. As we say, such players don’t grow on trees. And it will take a considerable financial effort to prise Milinkovic-Savic away. But Lotito, as stubborn a negotiator as he is, is prepared to part with his midfield general. Furthermore, Lazio’s president has slashed his asking price for SMS, accepting the time is ripe to cash in.
He’ll cost more than Tielemans. But Milinkovic-Savic is closer to the ‘personality’ player Arteta and this Arsenal team need. At 27 and with seven years of Serie A football under his belt, SMS would arrive the finished product. Not one to develop. To bring on. Instead, a player to lift those around him. To lift the quality of the XI. And one to match the demands of Gabriel Jesus.
For the moment, the Brazilian is Arsenal’s flagship signing. But he’s not enough. Arteta knows this. His Torreira intervention is proof enough of that.
Need a VPN? Or seeking to switch? Then support Tribal Football by clicking here to sign up with our official partners NordVPN. Not only will you receive the best VPN experience, but also great discounts by signing up via Tribal Football. Thanks for your support!
