Journalist Sam Dean has now urged Arsenal to consider pushing to sign Frenkie de Jong.
A midfield rebuild is on the horizon for Arsenal. The north London outfit have already been linked with a host of potential transfer targets in that part of the pitch.
Thomas Partey, Jorginho, and Mohamed Elneny are all in the twilight years of their careers, and on an individual basis there is a strong argument for moving on from each player.
Partey is undeniably an elite talent, but his frequent injury issues have reached a point where Mikel Arteta can never rely upon the Ghanaian to be fit and available for a substantial stretch of games. The club cannot afford to carry a player who will almost certainly spend a significant chunk of each season on the treatment table. The time has come to move on from the former Atletico Madrid man.
Jorginho has proven himself to be a useful squad player since his arrival at the Emirates Stadium from Chelsea last January. However, he has limitations, and given his talks over a new contract with Arsenal have reached a “standstill” there is a chance that he could leave as a free agent in the summer.
Elneny loves the club and has been a great servant in his time in red and white. However, the Egyptian has never been a nailed-on starter and is now very much on the fringes of Arteta’s squad. He simply isn’t good enough to play a key role for a side with title-winning ambitions.
As such, only Declan Rice represents the long-term future of Arsenal in the middle of the park.
Arsenal encouraged to sign Frenkie de Jong
Journalist Sam Dean has therefore suggested that Arteta should seek to bring Frenkie de Jong to Arsenal. Speaking on Charles Watts’ Inside Arsenal YouTube platform, he said, “the other player I think Arsenal should really look at…In the longer term they need to, sort of, revamp the midfield…I look at Barcelona, look at Frenkie de Jong, and think that is a player who perfectly suits Arsenal’s system, perfectly understands the kind of football Arteta wants to play. He can play as a 6 and as an 8, just like Declan Rice – those two would work really well together.”
The La Liga giants paid £65 million to sign the Dutch maestro in 2019, and he has proven himself to be a sensational midfield operator since then. However, Barcelona have their own financial issues which could force their hand into a sale if a fair offer for de Jong came forward.
There is no doubt that the 26-year-old would raise the level at Arsenal. It would be an ambitious move, but would be a huge coup for the Gunners if they could get such a deal over the line this summer.
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