Arsenal must sanction double midfield exit to land £60m dream transfer

Arsenal must sanction double midfield exit to land £60m dream transfer

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze and should sanction double exit to make it happen

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Crystal Palace and England international Eberechi Eze. The attacking midfielder has been one of the most impressive Premier League talents and his performances have been rewarded with a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad at the European Championships.

After scoring 11 goals and claiming another six assists it is no wonder that a side like the Gunners would be keen. Mikel Arteta has a tricky situation regarding his attacking midfield options with two potentially facing a summer departure.

Martin Odegaard has been such a standout player and reliable figure in the squad that rotation has been tricky to manage. When he was missing at Newcastle in the Gunners’ damaging 1-0 defeat, Kai Havertz came into the role but moved into the centre-forward position as the season developed.

The two other options are Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira. The former has suffered from considerable injury problems, limiting his game time and seeing him slip down the pecking order while the latter has also faced fitness issues but reports surrounding unimpressive training output have cast doubt over the Portuguese’s future too.

Both should earn the club a sizeable transfer return if they were to be sold, which could be used to reinvest into any prospective move for Eze. However, BBC Sport claimed that £60million is the starting expectation for offers for Eze, which is likely to be more than the combined fees of Smith Rowe and Vieira, and therefore Arsenal will need to spend too.

Yet the numbers don’t lie when it comes to the quality of Eze. He ranks according to FBRef in the 94th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 among attacking midfielders and wingers in the top five leagues, in the 95th for shots per 90, in the 81st for shot-creating actions per 90 and in the 91st for successful take-ons.

Both should earn the club a sizeable transfer return if they were to be sold, which could be used to reinvest into any prospective move for Eze. However, BBC Sport claimed that £60million is the starting expectation for offers for Eze, which is likely to be more than the combined fees of Smith Rowe and Vieira, and therefore Arsenal will need to spend too.

Yet the numbers don’t lie when it comes to the quality of Eze. He ranks according to FBRef in the 94th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 among attacking midfielders and wingers in the top five leagues, in the 95th for shots per 90, in the 81st for shot-creating actions per 90 and in the 91st for successful take-ons.