Arsenal are interested in a teenage attacking midfielder as Mikel Arteta aims to bolster his squad…

What’s the news?

Foot Mercato have reported that Arsenal are interested in 19-year-old Fares Chaibi, who plays for Toulouse in Ligue 1.

The report states that Arsenal had scouts present during Toulouse’s match against Strasbourg last month in order to take a closer look at the youngster.

LaLiga side Sevilla are also interested in the player and Arteta might face competition to secure his signature. A fee has not been mentioned, however, due to this being Chaibi’s breakthrough season, Arsenal might not need to splash the cash.

Gabriel Martinelli 2.0

Arteta has begun to mould an Arsenal side that combines experience with young talent and this has eventually started to pay off this season.

During the summer, the club signed young Brazilian winger Marquinhos and he looks like an excellent potential, while there is no doubt that Chaibi could add something different.

In fact, the Toulouse player is more akin to Martinelli, with FBref rating him as fifth-closest to the Arsenal winger on their player comparison model.

This season has seen the two players register very similar statistics with regard to goal contributions (7 to 6), shots per game (2.51 to 2.16), and goal-creating actions per match (0.69 to 0.43).

While the Brazilian mainly plays out wide, Chaibi can play as a centre-forward, attacking midfielder or as winger, leading journalist Chebil Ishaq to describe him as “versatile” and this could be a big advantage for Arteta.

Fellow praise was also given by journalist Zach Lowy, who claimed the 19-year-old was “one to keep an eye on," and his form this season certainly merits this praise.

Arteta might continue to scout the player for the duration of the season, as he is unlikely to gain much game time if he moved to the North London side in January.

However, with Sevilla interested too, much will depend on how they act going forward, and there might be no harm in Arteta making a move for him before loaning the youngster back out so he can continue his development.

With Martinelli really beginning to showcase this potential this season, Chaibi could follow in his footsteps and become a shrewd investment for the club.