Despite the arrival of Fabio Vieira from Porto this summer, Arsenal are keen to add another midfielder to Mikel Arteta’s squad before the end of the window.
Several names have been linked throughout the summer so far, though it seems as though Edu’s shortlist has been whittled down to two names, Lyon’s Lucas Paqueta and Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans.
Paqueta has attracted plenty of Premier League attention on the back of a strong campaign for Lyon where he scored nine goals, registered six assists and was voted as the best foreign player in Ligue 1.
Tielemans meanwhile has just one-year left on his current contract, leaving Leicester in a difficult position. If they don’t sell him this summer, they're likely to see him leave for free in 12 months' time.
The club opened discussions about a new deal with Tielemans and his representatives early last year, but the midfielder has been reluctant to sign and he has not ruled out an exit this summer.
Both players have the potential to be excellent additions to Arteta’s squad, but who’d be the better option for the Gunners to focus their attention on?
Although both players are of a similar age with Tielemans 25 and Paqueta 24, one obvious advantage the former holds over the latter is his contract situation. It’s possible that the Gunners could land the Belgian international for somewhere between £20-£30m, which would represent a steal for a proven Premier League star with his quality.
For Paqueta though, it’s expected that Arsenal could have to pay anywhere between £50-£70m to land his signature, which isn’t ideal given the fees already paid to land other targets so far this summer.
In terms of playing profiles, both mostly played similar roles for their teams last season, taking up the right of a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1, though each player is more than comfortable playing in different shapes such as a 4-3-3 or flat four-man midfield too.
There wasn’t a huge difference between the two in terms of goal contributions last season, though Paqueta’s combined league total of 15 did better Tielemans’ ten. The Brazilian also bettered his counterpart in terms of shot-creating actions, according to FBref.
These are one of the last two actions that led to a shot on goal, such as a pass, dribble or winning a foul. He averaged an impressive 3.9 per 90, while Tielemans averaged 2.87.
Paqueta could also better Tieleman’s in a lot of key possession metrics too, averaging better numbers in terms of progressive runs, dribbles and carries. Tielemans can slightly better the Lyon man in terms of passing numbers, averaging more passes and with a better success rate.
As a technician, Tieleman’s probably holds the edge, however from a mobility perspective, it does seem as though Paqueta is stronger. This is a benefit not only in possession but also out of it too and the Brazilian again boasts better numbers than Tieleman’s in terms of tackles won and defensive pressures.
Team tactics and player roles can of course impact the above numbers, as does the quality of the opposition, with it being widely accepted that the Premier League is much tougher than Ligue 1. However, even taking that into account, Paqueta does look to be showing up very well.
Both players would represent excellent additions to this Arsenal side, and although from a football perspective it’s easier to make a case that it is perhaps Paqueta who holds a marginal edge based on the above. iI's probably not enough of one to overlook the fact that Tielemans could be signed for a much lower fee. That's something that should in essence make him the priority target of the two.
