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3 Players Arsenal Should Sign In The 2021 Summer Transfer Window

Houssem Aouar

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There are three certainties in the life of a professional footballer: death, taxes and being linked to Arsenal during a transfer window. The Arsenal transfer rumour mill is an endless machine that churns out name after name throughout the year.

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Mikel Arteta’s side have already been heavily linked with the likes of Ben White, James Maddison, Ruben Neves amongst others this summer and there are plenty more to come before deadline day. Arsenal are in desperate need of surgery in this transfer window after underperforming in recent seasons, so here are three players we think they should sign this summer to help them regain their place amongst Europe’s elite.

1. YVES BISSOUMA

 

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Club: Brighton and Hove Albion
Value: £22.5 million

If Arsenal are focused on a rebuild, it is abundantly clear that central midfield is one of the main areas needing reinforcements. Dani Ceballos has returned to Madrid, Granit Xhaka is on his way to AS Roma and Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira are destined to follow him out the door. At the moment, Thomas Partey and Mohammed Elneny are the only central midfielders that are expected to still be at the club on deadline day and Arsenal need to address this area of the pitch.

While the Gunners realistically need 2-3 players to fill this void, the one priority signing they should look at in this part of the pitch is Brighton’s Yves Bissouma. The Mali international is the perfect profile for Arsenal’s midfield with plenty of Premier League experience, having spent the past three seasons with Brighton. The 24-year-old is incredibly reliable in possession but more importantly, is one of the best disruptors in Europe and provides incredible athleticism and dynamism to Arsenal’s midfield.

2. HOUSSEM AOUAR

 

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Club: Olympique Lyon
Value: £37.8 million

Another area of concern for Arsenal is in central attacking midfield. Last season in the Premier League Arsenal ranked 5th in terms of pass distance but 13th in terms of progressive distance (passes made towards the opposition goal). What this means is while Arsenal retained plenty of possession, they struggled to penetrate defences and move the ball up the pitch into more dangerous areas. 

Signing an attacking midfielder to solve this creative issue is imperative for Arsenal this summer and the one player they should target is Houssem Aouar. Arsenal were heavily linked to Aouar in 2020 and could sign the player on a cut-price deal this summer with only 2 years remaining on his contract. The Frenchman is capable of playing as a number 8 or 10 and would offer that much-needed creative spark. The 22-year-old averaged 4.3 passes into the final third per 90 minutes last season and could complement Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka perfectly in Arsenal’s attack.

3. EDMOND TAPSOBA

 

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Club: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Value: £36 million

And finally, the last area of concern for Arsenal at the moment is at centre-back. The departure of David Luiz has left a hole in Arsenal’s backline and the Gunners will need to strengthen in defence if they wish to challenge for the Champions League places next season. The perfect signing for Arsenal in this position would be the extremely promising Bayer Leverkusen centre-back, Edmond Tapsoba

Tapsoba is the complete modern centre-back, possessing all the attributes required to go right to the very top. The Burkina Faso international is gifted with incredible speed for someone of his size but it is his ability with the ball that stands out. Tapsoba was tasked with building the play for Bayer Leverkusen last season and can perform that same role with distinction for Arsenal alongside Gabriel. Tapsoba averaged nearly 5 progressive passes per 90 minutes last season and is known for his incredible line-breaking passes and big switches of play from the back. Defensively, Tapsoba relies heavily on his height and physical attributes and should adapt seamlessly to the pace and physicality of English football.

Signing these three players could cost Arsenal over £100 million but after finishing 8th for two consecutive seasons, the necessary investment is required to rescue the Gunners from the doldrums of mediocrity.

*All values according to Transfermarkt.com

 

[Image Credit: Houssem Aouar]

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