Patrick Vieira has been watching the World Cup closely.
One Arsenal transfer target in particular has caught his eye.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football on Netflix, Vieira praised Ayyoub Bouaddi after his performances for Morocco.
“Really impressive. I think he’s only 18, but he plays like a 30-year-old player.” the Arsenal legend said.
“He’s got this tactical awareness, he’s always well positioned and he has this technical ability to play from the back and a really strong personality.
👀 NAME a BETTER midfield target for Arsenal than Ayyoub Bouaddi… I bet you CAN’T…
🌟 The 18-year-old looked so good vs Brazil's at the World Cup!
“I like the midfield three from Morocco but he’s the talent in this team.”
Of course, Vieira knows exactly what elite midfield quality looks like, and his comments say a lot about how advanced Bouaddi’s game already is.
Arsenal cannot afford to wait to make their move for Ayyoub Bouaddi
Bouaddi’s stock is rising by the day. The Lille midfielder was hugely impressive in the 1-1 draw with Brazil and backed that up further in the 1-0 win over Scotland.
Morocco have now virtually secured their spot in the next round, and play the first team eliminated from this year’s World Cup, Haiti, in their remaining group stage game.
Arsenal now face competition from Europe’s elite for Bouaddi, who has already drawn comparisons to Vieira and Sergio Busquets by former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud.
Real Madrid are closely monitoring his situation, while PSG are reportedly considering whether they need to accelerate their own interest given the competition building around him.
At around £60million, Bouaddi remains considerably cheaper than other midfield options Arsenal have considered this summer, with Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes both commanding fees closer to £100m and £80m respectively.
He also offers the ability to cover at right-back, a position the Premier League champions are also looking to strengthen.
With Vieira’s praise adding to an already growing list of admirers, Arsenal may need to move quickly before that price climbs higher.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
