Arsenal’s ambitions of ascending to new heights could significantly benefit from acquiring a “complete” midfielder. This season, Arsenal sent a resounding message to the Premier League that they are a force to be reckoned with.
Despite their title hopes collapsing spectacularly last season, Mikel Arteta’s squad regrouped and pushed Manchester City to the final day this year. Although they fell short, improvements were evident in both defense and attack.
One of Arsenal’s key players, Thomas Partey, contributed minimally in the 2023/24 season. Recent reports suggest that the club is already in discussions to find his replacement this summer.
Renowned transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, via GIVEMESPORT, reports that Arsenal is keen on Everton’s standout midfielder Amadou Onana and has initiated contact to understand his availability.
Although the talks are not yet concrete, the North London club is clearly interested in the Belgian international. However, they may need to act swiftly, as many clubs in England are also eyeing Onana.
While Romano did not specify a price for the former LOSC Lille star, a May report from Football Insider indicated he could be available for around £50 million as Everton aims to comply with PSR regulations. Securing Onana might be challenging, but given his stellar performances for Everton and Partey’s declining influence, Arsenal’s technical director Edu Gaspar and his team should spare no effort to finalize the deal.
Comparing Onana to Partey involves assessing the Belgian’s current season against Partey’s 2022/23 season, as Partey played only 882 minutes this year, making it an inaccurate measure of his peak performance. Neither player is particularly prolific; Onana scored three goals and provided one assist in 37 games this season, while Partey scored three goals with no assists in 40 games last season.
Despite this, Onana excels in several underlying metrics. While he falls short in areas like progressive passes and carries, ball recoveries, and passing accuracy, he outshines Partey in categories such as shots and shots on target, tackles and tackles won, aerial duels won, blocks, errors leading to a shot, miscontrols, and dispossessions per 90 minutes. Additionally, Onana’s availability is a crucial advantage. Since the 2020/21 season, he has missed only 11 games, compared to Partey’s 72 missed games, averaging 18 games out per season.
Ultimately, while Partey is undeniably talented, Onana’s superior statistics, reliability, and youth make him a more attractive option for Arsenal at this juncture. Therefore, Edu and his team must prioritize bringing Onana to North London this summer to help propel Arsenal to the next level.
