Mikel Arteta has enjoyed a solid summer transfer window as Arsenal aims to claim a top four spot for the first time since 2015/2016 and make it back to the Champions League.
The Spaniard appears to be undertaking a massive overhaul of his playing squad, outgoings include Alexandre Lacazette, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Matteo Guendouzi, Bernd Leno, and Lucas Torreira permanently while the arrivals of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have significantly strengthened the Gunners first team squad.
Arteta still looks like he wants to do more business, with interest in wingers Yeremy Pino and Moussa Diaby still ongoing, another addition to the frontline wouldn’t do any harm at all.
One move that doesn’t look like it's going to materialise however is one for Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, with the move now looking unlikely. Although the Gunners could land a dream alternative for the Belgian star, as the club have made enquires for AC Milan player Sandro Tonali.
Milan wants to keep the midfielder at the San Siro as he was one of their key performers in the side claiming their first Serie A crown in 11 years, averaging a WhoScored rating of 7.02, placing him third in the Milan squad.
Tielemans offers a more direct goalscoring threat, netting six goals in the league compared to five for Tonali, yet the young Italian is much more solid defensively compared to his Belgian counterpart.
The 22-year-old made more pressures (576 to 489), and more interceptions (57 to 41), and was only dribbled past 0.6 times per match compared to 1.8 for Tielemans.
These stats prove that Tonali would be the better option in terms of defensive ability and with Arsenal conceding 48 league goals last season, they need someone with that extra bite in the midfield.
The £35k-p/w gem was dubbed “extraordinary” by former Brescia manager Eugenio Corini and even compared to Andrea Pirlo, showing just how much talent the player has.
If Arteta can convince him to swap Milan for London, then it will be another wonderful addition to the side.