The summer transfer window may not officially open for another couple of months but it would appear that Arsenal are already laying some groundwork in preparation for a return to the Champions League.
Currently eight points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League title race, albeit having played a game more, it would take an almighty dip in form between now and the end of May for the Gunners to not be back at Europe's top table next season after a six-year absence.
But based on Arsenal's performance in the Europa League round of 16 loss to Sporting CP on penalties and the two domestic cup competitions this season, they'll need improvements beyond Mikel Arteta's starting XI to improve on their rather underwhelming record in Europe.
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Perhaps the area in which this is evident is in midfield and that's despite the arrival of Jorginho in the January transfer window. The argument that the drop in quality when Thomas Partey doesn't start remains and it can't be much of a coincidence that Declan Rice has emerged as Arsenal's priority target for the summer transfer window.
The England international is expected to depart West Ham United at the end of the season and football.london understands that there is optimism a deal can be done despite the club's transfer policy of not being dragged into a bidding war, nor overpaying for players.
Should Rice join the Gunners, he'll certainly improve Arteta's options in the engine room as not only can he operate as the deepest-lying midfielder - thus providing good cover for Partey and competition for Jorginho - he is equally as comfortable playing as a box-to-box midfielder thus opening the door to play alongside the Ghana international and Martin Odegaard.
"I think I’ve just gone off my own back and done it really," Rice told Saturday Social last season when asked how his new role came about. "I think I’ve always known I could do it even from last season, probably in the Euros final I done it quite a lot and obviously you know when you’re doing it during a game it feels good and it looks good.
"As the season started I just thought you know what, I’ve got the ability it’s just having the confidence to do it. You know sometimes you can play within yourself or choose your moments. But yeah. this year I’ve just thought 'Why am I going to stop it'. I’ll do it every time I can really."
Furthermore, Rice's potential arrival could spell the end of Albert Sambi Lokonga and Ainsley Maitland-Niles' time at Arsenal. The pair are currently on loan at Crystal Palace and Southampton respectively but would slip even further down the pecking order should another midfielder sign.
Whilst Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia have been linked with moves to the north London outfit, unless there's a significant midfield departure, it's difficult to see either arriving in addition to Rice.
Then there's a decision to be made on Charlie Patino. As seen during his loan spell with Blackpool this season, he can operate as the deep-lying midfielder or slightly higher. However, it's probably better for his development that he is loaned out to a Premier League club to gain more experience.
Should this scenario play out and with Mohamed Elneny confirmed to be staying on for another season in a back-up role, it would leave Arteta's midfield options for the 2023/24 campaign consisting of Partey, Odegaard, Rice, Granit Xhaka, Jorginho, Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe and the Egyptian.
Of course, getting them all into the same starting XI would be impossible for Arteta as there are simply not enough midfield positions in his dream 4-3-3 setup. But the Spaniard would have depth in this department which is vital for squad rotation to challenge on several fronts next season.
As indicated above, Rice can operate in two central midfield roles for Arsenal if he joins. It's most likely he would start off as a left-sided '8', filling in for Partey when he needs a rest before transitioning into a permanent No.6 under the tutelage of Arteta in the future.
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