Paul Merson has said that Arsenal needs to sign a holding midfielder in the January transfer window. He has also said that Thomas Partey is in brilliant form this season.
However, the Gunners are one Thomas Partey injury from disrupting their remainder of the season. Hence, due to his injury record, the Premier League giants should look out for a holding midfielder.
PAUL MERSON PRAISES THE PERFORMANCE OF THOMAS PARTEY
Arsenal defeated West Ham 3-1 in their boxing day fixture. The likes of Eddie Nketiah and Granit Xhaka gained praises for their praises. However, there is one player that has gone under the radar this season. The player is holding midfielder Thomas Partey. He was signed by Atletico Madrid. However, in his initial games, he struggled for form. Another problem is he kept suffering injuries. This disrupted his flow. Hence, at one point, the Gunners were even ready to sell him for the right price in the transfer window.
However, in the last two seasons, he is starting to show his true ability for Arsenal. He is also doing the dirty work Mikel Arteta expects from him as a holding midfielder. Hence, plaudits including Paul Merson have praised him. He further said,
“I personally think they need another holding midfield player. I think Thomas Partey’s been absolutely outstanding this season. If he got injured, I think that’d be a big worry for them.”
Hence, it is clear that Mikel Arteta needs to keep an eye on the midfielder situation in January.
ARSENAL AND MIDFIELDERS TRANSFER LINKS FULL STORY
At the moment, Arsenal are prioritizing the signing of Mykhaylo Mudryk and a center-forward signing. However, they do need to sign a player in the holding midfielder position. This is because Mohamed Elneny is struggling to get minutes after his injury. Another problem is the Albert Sambi Lokonga situation. The reports also claim that the Belgian midfielder wants to leave the Gunners in January. Mikel Arteta is also happy to let him leave on a loan or permanent basis in January.
The report also claims that Arsenal are keeping an eye on the situations of Douglas Luiz and Jesper Lindstrom. However, both players will not come cheap in the January transfer window. Hence, they need to save a good amount of money to sign a holding midfielder. The report also claims that they are monitoring the situation of Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandes. However, the Portuguese giants will only sell him for his 120 million release clause in the January transfer window.
Hence, Arsenal will have to make big decisions on the midfield situation in January. Another last idea for them is to trust the ability of Albert-Sambi Lokonga for the rest of the season. However, one thing is clear that they need a holding midfielder to replace Thomas Partey in the future transfer windows.
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