The Arsenal rebuild has gotten off to a rocky start. Recently, however, Mikel Arteta and Edu have begun to move the squad in the right direction.
The January thinning of the bloated Arsenal team has made way for new talent to be added in the summer. Funds will still be tight and those at the top can not afford to throw money at the many, many problems the north London team have.
Looking down the leagues and finding young, inexpensive talents that can contribute for years to come may be their best course of action.
Arsenal don’t tend to shop from the lower leagues, with the most notable arrival from below the Premier League being the capture of Rob Holding in 2016. Casting our minds further back, there was Aaron Ramsey from Cardiff and Theo Walcott from Southampton, both who went on to enjoy successful careers with the Gunners
2 Championship players Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta should sign this summer transfer window
Here are three Championship players that would propel Arsenal to new heights.
Jason Knight – Derby County
Midfield is an position that Arteta will be looking to restructure. Thomas Partey’s injury problems, Granit Xhaka’s moments of madness and lack of mobility and overall lack of quality beyond those two mean that players absolutely need to be brought in.
The futures of Mohamed Elneny and Dani Ceballos are uncertain, while even Joe Willock out on loan at Newcastle isn’t assured of another season with Arsenal. Thus, Jason Knight should be one of those players eyed up to bolster the numbers.
The Republic of Ireland midfielder is only 20 years of age but has already secured himself in Wayne Rooney’s starting lineup at Derby.
Above all, Knight truly is an all-around midfielder: he tackles well, has great defensive and offensive positional awareness, often finding the correct spaces to nick the ball off the opposition either from tackling or intercepting. Furthermore, everything is measured; he pounces on mistakes, doesn’t force them, thus avoiding unnecessary fouls.
As far as attacking output, he provides impetus as well. His dribbling offers an excellent route to push forward and break defensive lines, while his energy shows on the pitch as he exchanges quick passes with his teammates before darting beyond the forwards to arrive in the box.
An ever-present across a variety of positions for Derby – really, he’s played in seven different roles – this young midfielder will only get better.
Adam Armstrong – Blackburn
Old. The Arsenal strikers are old. Alexandre Lacazette will hit 30 (years not goals) in May; Aubameyang will hit 32 in June.
The need for younger alternatives is clear to see. Arteta is grooming Gabriel Martinelli to take over as center-forward but the next Ronaldo (take your pick of whichever Ronaldo) is still only 19 and is not ready to take on the mantle.
In comes Adam Armstrong. The English striker – is nationality helps fulfill the homegrown quota which is increasingly important – is the right age at 24, and he would not stunt Martinelli’s development, instead letting him ease into the role. The Blackburn Rovers man is strong and can play with his back to goal efficiently. Then there are his goals. He’s got a lot.
Armstrong has notched 19 goals and three assists for the season, utilising his total comfort with either foot. With only one year left on his contract in the summer it opens the door for his availability on a cut-price fee in the next transfer window.
Arsenal have a number of positions to fill this summer. Bringing in expensive wingers and playmakers from abroad would be a terrible use of the limited funds, thus securing bargains from the lower leagues that have resale value and can contribute in the here and now is the best way to continue the Arsenal rebuild.
Comments
Post a Comment