Arsenal may need to address their creative issues in the summer transfer window.
The Gunners have struggled to score the volume of goals required to keep pace with Liverpool and have paid the price for it.
While injuries to key forwards have certainly hindered them, questions will need to be asked of the lack of creativity from Mikel Arteta’s midfield.
Fabio Vieira could return to help Martin Odegaard in this aspect, although the Gunners hierarchy may instead opt to dip into the market and recruit another playmaker.
Jamie O’Hara believes Arsenal should sign Kevin De Bruyne
One prolific Premier League creator who will be available on the market this summer is Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian’s contract at Manchester City is up at the end of the season, and he will subsequently be on the hunt for a new club.
Speaking on Sky Sports, former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara urged Arsenal to try and lure De Bruyne to the Emirates this summer.
“If he is genuinely going to go, Mikel Arteta knows him, he should get straight on the phone and say: ‘Come and sign for Arsenal, we’ll win the league with you. I’m going to sign a striker, I’m going to have you in midfield. We’ll sort it out with you and Odegaard.’
“They’ve got Champions League football. I would be straight on the phone, give him whatever he wants, get him in that team because he’s a winner, he knows how to win, and he is still a top player. It makes a huge difference.”
Arteta worked with De Bruyne at City, and thus, there’s already some synergy between the two.
Only Ryan Giggs has registered more assists in Premier League history, so the attacking midfielder would certainly arrive in North London with an impressive creative pedigree.
Arsenal shouldn’t sign Kevin De Bruyne
Arteta should ultimately ignore O’Hara’s suggestion and stick by a struggling Odegaard next season.
While De Bruyne may be a ‘winner’, he’s certainly no longer an elite creative player and has shown glaring signs of decline this season.
Evidently losing his underrated physical attributes this campaign, the Belgium international will turn 34 in the summer and would demand excessive wages.
Currently earning a purported £400,000 a week (via Capology), he’s unlikely to accept a reduced salary when he can probably earn a similar amount in Saudi Arabia on the MLS.
| Kevin De Bruyne Statistical Comparison (Premier League Only) | |||
| Stat | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 32 | 18 | 25 |
| Goals | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Assists | 16 | 10 | 7 |
| Shots per 90 | 2.42 | 3.24 | 2.87 |
| Key Passes per 90 | 3.57 | 4.34 | 2.98 |
| Expected Assists per 90 | 0.52 | 0.52 | 0.34 |
| Progressive Passes per 90 | 9.14 | 8.16 | 7.89 |
On top of the finances, the data above clearly indicates that the player has gotten worse in the last few seasons, and this decline may become even more steep in the next few seasons.
Odegaard has struggled this season, although the Norwegian was named in the PFA Team of the Year in each of the last two seasons and only turned 26 in December.
While adding a complimentary piece to Oddegaard, like a return for Vieira, could be a smart move, Arteta has to retain faith in his captain.
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