I'm sure like most of you last night, I was a little bit disappointed to read that Arsenal's interest in Youri Tielemans had 'cooled' due to the incoming arrival of Fabio Vieira.
Obviously, he's someone that has been heavily linked with us for a while now and all of the signs had been encouraging, so it's always a bit gutting to hear that it may now be in doubt. However, it still appears that things aren't totally dead in the water regarding this deal, with various reports suggesting that talks are actually continuing and a move is not dependent on Vieira.
This is good news, and it's absolutely something Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu should still push for. Tielemans is a quality player who is proven at Premier League level, and when someone like him is potentially available for as little as £25m, you have to throw everything at it.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta told Fabio Vieira can be Arsenal's Kevin De Bruyne as Edu closes in on £34m deal
Meanwhile, Vieira's addition is an exciting one that will help elevate our quality going forwards. But while I appreciate his versatility can enable him to play in central midfield if required, he remains very attacking-minded and appears much more comfortable while operating as a No.10 or winger.
The 22-year-old should be viewed as competition for the likes of Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, rather than someone like Granit Xhaka for example, this is one of the reasons why I believe Tielemans should remain a priority for the club.
It's important to remember that the fixture schedule will be quite relentless next season due to the return to Europe, Arsenal could play up to nine games in the space of a month in October. On top of that, five substitutions instead of three will be permitted, meaning there will be plenty of opportunities for rotation.
Academy products such as Charlie Patino, Omari Hutchinson and Marcelo Flores were just a few to be named on the bench several times last season, and while it's great to see them get deserved recognition, we can't always rely on them if we want to compete at the highest level with all due respect.
That brings me to my next point. Signing Vieira is a good start, but if Arsenal want to oversee a major upgrade to the squad this summer, they would go out and get Tielemans too. Both players could have different roles and still be regular names on the teamsheet, think about Thomas Partey's injury record too, can we really rely on him staying fit? I have my doubts.
All in all, I just think that we'd be making a mistake by snubbing Tielemans when he's right there for a cut-price deal. It sounds as if he'd been keen on a move, talks have been taking place for a while and it's a great market opportunity waiting to be exploited.
