It is clear who Arsenal should prioritise in the summer transfer window to solve their midfield problems, and that is Wolves' Ruben Neves.
The Gunners will be in desperate need of a midfielder, with football.london understanding that Roma are expected to make a fresh attempt to sign Granit Xhaka at the end of the season.
Thomas Partey would be the only experienced midfielder in the squad, so the addition of another Premier League player whose strength is to control the tempo of a match is crucial.
Arsenal have been linked with Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans and according to Belgian outlet Nieuwsblad.be, he is available for £35 million but Neves would be a more suitable option.
Tielemans and Partey are very similar in terms of their tackles and interceptions, alongside their progressive passes per 90 minutes.
In a successful midfield pivot, it is important to have more variety between the two players, and the statistics potentially highlight that the Ghanaian and Tielemans would not work, but Neves would certainly be an excellent acquisition for the Gunners.
According to reports, Wolves are confident they can keep hold of Neves if they are able to qualify for Europe and can only see him leaving if an extraordinary offer arrives.
Arsenal have been linked with a move for Neves, and if Mikel Arteta’s side can qualify for the Champions League next season then they will be in with a great chance of signing the midfielder.
Neves would be the perfect solution to Arsenal’s problems as he is a composed player who handles the basics excellently, and aside from an occasional marvellous free-kick, he is usually not the type of player to feature on a headline.
At the end of the season, the midfielder’s contract will only have two years remaining, and Wolves will have to decide whether to sell him to prevent losing him for a cut-price in the following year, due to his expiring deal.
Albert Sambi Lokonga will certainly be a future regular in the midfield for Arsenal, but he still needs time to adapt to the pace of the Premier League, whilst Mohamed Elneny’s contract is set to expire at the end of the current campaign.
So with Xhaka potentially moving to Roma, the Portuguese international would prove to be an excellent partner alongside Partey, as the 24-year-old is a part of a Wolves team that has been solid defensively this season which Neves has played a big part in.
Whilst Tielemans certainly has great quality and would improve the Arsenal midfield, Neves would make more sense due to his difference in style of play compared to Partey, if Arsenal wanted to go down the route of signing a player with Premier League experience.
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