Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a deal worth in the region of £25million to sign midfielder Yves Bissouma from Brighton & Hove Albion, according to reports.
The 25-year-old has been the subject of interest from many top Premier League clubs, including Spurs’ North London rivals Arsenal. However, it’s Antonio Conte’s men who look to have solidified their interest in the midfielder, who was entering the final 12 months of his contract with Brighton.
The deal represents a blow for Arsenal who were keen to strengthen their midfield ahead of next season and had identified Bissouma as a potential option. Thomas Partey's injury at the back end of the last campaign highlighted the need to bring in reinforcements, so the club will surely now be working on deals for suitable alternatives. With that in mind, Mirror Football has highlighted three players we think they could look to target instead.
Ibrahim Sangare - PSV
From an Arsenal perspective, Sangare should tick many boxes. He’s currently plying his trade in the Eredivisie with PSV and is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders outside of Europe’s top five leagues.
As a profile, he’s big, athletic and is excellent at reading the game. Last season only one Eredivisie midfielder across the league could better his possession-adjusted interceptions average of 9.14 per 90.
The 24-year-old is also composed on the ball and able to play through the lines when opportunities present themselves, a point highlighted by the fact he ranked inside the league’s top ten midfielders in terms of playing the highest number of progressive passes per 90 last season. A move to the Premier League looks imminent and the Emirates could be the ideal destination.
Florian Neuhaus - Borussia Monchengladbach
There were only four Bundesliga midfielders who played over 1000 minutes that could better Neuhaus’ defensive duel success rate (66.18 per cent) last season, highlighting his defensive prowess, though the 25-year-old has proven to be an excellent all-rounder.
In Germany he usually plays in a midfield two and despite his deep positioning on the pitch, he has a knack for scoring goals, bagging 14 Bundesliga strikes across the last three campaigns.
Given he has just two years left on his current contract, now could be the ideal time for Arsenal to land Neuhaus. Monchengladbach will want to get him tied down on a new deal or sell him now. If not, they risk losing him for either a reduced fee next summer or nothing at all the year after.
Vítor Machado Ferreira - Porto
‘Vitinha’, as he’s best known, had a decent if unremarkable loan spell in the Premier League with Wolves back in the 2020/21 campaign. However, he’s thrived since returning to Porto and was one of their standout stars last season.
Although only 5ft8, he’s an excellent technician and key contributor within Porto’s build-up play. In fact, no midfielder across Liga Portugal averaged more passes per 90 (66.32) than the 22-year-old last season. Despite his size, Vitinha also had the seventh-best defensive duel success rate from that group of midfielders too.
Vitinha has a reported transfer clause of €40million in his contract which could prove a bargain for Arsenal based on his age, current ability and potential ceiling.
