The Youri Tielemans to Arsenal transfer saga has gone on for longer than many ever expected. It was a deal that looked, for all intents and purposes, a simple one that the Gunners would sort early on.
However, Arsenal have been a different beast in the market and a theme of Mikel Arteta and Edu’s refined vision for the transfer market is a requirement of total assuredness. Although a bid is yet to be made for the Belgian, football.london understands that the club remains interested in the player.
Arteta and Edu know that to return Arsenal to the top the signings they make need to push the needle for the role in the team they sign them in. Early moves did not accomplish that but in the past two to three windows there have been numerous successes.
READ MORE: Edu given £6.6m Youri Tielemans ultimatum as Arsenal frustrations grow with lack of player sales
Deals for Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko this summer also further this vision. Therefore, the stall on the deal for Tielemans highlights two potential problems.
Firstly, Arsenal’s list of central midfield reinforcement does not feature Tielemans as their number one candidate. There have been suggestions of a mystery priority that the club continue to work on with the Belgian seen as an alternative if their primary desire falls through.
Secondly, the remaining players in the position at the club need to be moved on before a deal can happen. Lucas Torreira is reportedly close to a move to Galatasaray whilst Ainsley Maitland-Niles is still in north London.
Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny are all part of the squad for next season. In addition to Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith-Rowe and Fabio Vieira who make up the more offensive options for the midfield.
However how long can Tielemans wait? Leicester City manager Brandan Rogers told the media that Tielemans too does not want this situation to drag on and, with just one year left on his deal, would prefer a quicker resolution.
“There is that possibility but there has not been anything for him, we haven’t had any approaches to the club yet on that," Rodgers said when asked about the prospect of Tielemans leaving the club. “Of course, it is in the back of the mind, that sort of what-if scenario, but he doesn’t want anything to drag on either.”
Could this prolonged chase eventually put off the Belgian? Potentially.
The benefit Arsenal have is the five matches due to be played whilst the window remains open are very winnable with the existing squad. Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Bournemouth, Fulham and Aston Villa are opponents Mikel Arteta will be targeting wins from.
The pressure to complete the business before these games was therefore not as high compared to the prospect of facing both Chelsea and Manchester City in the first three games last season. However, Arsenal do travel to Old Trafford on September 4, with Manchester United, ironically, the other side linked with Tielemans.
The window will close prior to the trip to the northwest. Arsenal would be minded though to allow time for Tielemans, or any other midfield acquisition, to integrate into the group before these massive clashes come up.
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