Arsenal's pursuit of Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix, whilst exciting, does raise the question of where he would fit into Mikel Arteta's tactical plan should a loan move be completed in the January transfer window.
With Gabriel Jesus - and to a lesser extent Reiss Nelson - out injured and Emile Smith Rowe guaranteed to be short of match sharpness when he does make his return to action after over four months on the sidelines, the Gunners are making moves to bolster their attacking options.
The priority target is Mykhaylo Mudryk. And after seeing their opening offer - which was believed to be in the region of £55m including add-ons - rejected, negotiations with Shakhtar Donetsk will continue and it remains to be seen if the Ukrainian outfit will budge on their asking price of around £100m.
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However, Mudryk isn't the only forward whom Arsenal are targeting in the January transfer window as The Athletic's David Ornstein has revealed Joao Felix is wanted in addition to the 21-year-old - with the only difference being a deal for the Portugal international being a temporary one.
"They [Arsenal] are keen to sign Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid," Ornstein said. "He's been offered to a number of clubs and at the moment the numbers are too high. Arsenal are keen to do it but the numbers would need to come down."
Adding Joao Felix into the mix alongside Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Jesus, Eddie Nketiah, Smith Rowe, Nelson, Marquinhos and potentially Mudryk would give Arteta plenty of strength in depth in the forward department and a team selection headache most weeks if everyone is fully fit and available.
In the scenario that Arsenal do sign the forward, how would the Spaniard succeed where Diego Simeone hasn't to get the very best out of the 23-year-old? Well, playing him in his favoured role would be a good place to start: "My best position is as the second forward," Felix told the Athletic earlier this year. "Playing like a No. 10, with a guy in front of me."
Those comments would present somewhat of a problem should Felix make the switch to North London as his best position doesn't currently exist in Arteta's tactical setup. With that in mind, football.london takes a look at how the Portugal international could fit in at Arsenal.
Best role
As mentioned above, Felix sees himself playing off the main centre-forward whether that be as a number 10 or as a second striker. During his time at Arsenal, Arteta has shown tactical flexibility by using a 3-4-3, 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 system to a certain degree of success.
Were the Spaniard to revert back to a formation to accommodate Felix, it would represent a major u-turn from the Gunners manager as his long-term plan has always been to transition into a 4-3-3 formation having favoured a 4-2-3-1 system at the beginning of his tenure: "We want to move to a 4-3-3," he said in December 2020. "But for that, you need a lot of specificity in every position but now in five or six positions, we don't have it."
Of course, as the line-up graphic above shows Felix could be used in what he describes as his favoured role behind the main striker whether that be Jesus or Nketiah. As the chief creator in the side he would also be tasked with combining with the wide players such as Saka and Martinelli.
However, the big issue here is the possible absence of Martin Odegaard. As Arsenal captain, he is virtually a guaranteed starter when fit and available for selection and it seems unlikely he would be used in a double pivot alongside Thomas Partey as that would reduce the defensive security in the team. In addition, Fabio Vieira and Smith Rowe can be alternatives in that attacking midfield role.
Out wide
Joao Felix is a versatile forward. For Atletico Madrid, he has often operated from the left-wing and that was his role for Portugal during the World Cup. But if Arsenal do end up signing Mudryk, they would be stocked for options on that flank with Martinelli, Nelson and Smith Rowe also in consideration.
That could see Felix challenge Saka on the opposite side. A tough task given the England international has made that spot his own over the past season and a half. However, operating as a right-winger isn't something he has much, if any, experience with - even if his goal for Portugal against Ghana at the World Cup came from that side.
Lone striker
Whilst Felix may prefer to play off the main striker, it's likely he would be the focal point in this Arsenal side if he was to join on loan. According to the 23-year-old's former coach Joao Tralhao when speaking to Sky Sports last season, he could operate in this role to great effect.
"He can play on the left side, he can play on the right side, he can play through the middle. I always see him as a false nine or an actual nine, but really the position doesn't matter," Tralhao insisted. "The most important thing is that the coach understands him, as Simeone does.
"He can play anywhere, because he always finds the spaces to do what the coach wants. He understands that positioning like few in the world, he's very clever. He just needs to be where he can demonstrate his quality."
If this is the case then Felix rotating with Nketiah and leading the line with Saka, Martinelli (or Mudryk) either side of him with Odegaard as the creative hub alongside Granit Xhaka in the engine room could very well be the solution whilst Jesus is recovering from knee surgery.
With that said, it will be interesting to see what Arteta has planned for the talented forward should a deal materialise in the January transfer window as whilst Arsenal's attacking options would certainly be bolstered by his arrival, at present, it's difficult to see where he fits in, especially if Mudryk also joins the club.
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