Arsenal head into the January transfer window needing a bit of a refresh in their midfield department.
Yes, Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey have been excellent this season, but they’re not getting any younger and the Gunners need some depth beyond those two.
What Arsenal need right now is two young, physically brilliant, technically astute and tactically aware midfield players to come in and act as understudies to Partey and Xhaka – but sadly, finding those types of players is easier said than done.
Saying that, these types of players are out there, and almost cruelly, Arsenal have already given away two players that fit this bill.
Indeed, both Ismael Bennacer and Yunus Musah were in Arsenal’s academy at one point, and they would be the perfect duo to add to this Arsenal squad right now.
Bennacer would be the ideal replacement for Granit Xhaka. Just like the Swiss star, he’s a player with impeccable technique and he’s brilliant an maneuvering through tight spaces and dictating a game from deep. He would’ve been the perfect player to rotate with Xhaka, but sadly, Arsenal let the Algerian pass them by.
Meanwhile, Musah is a midfield player who could work brilliantly alongside Bennacer.
While he’s not wholly comparable to Partey, he does have that same ability to break up play by getting his body between an opposition player and the ball, while his talent to drive from deep is reminiscent of a young Yaya Toure.
Arsenal need young blood and depth in their midfield, and that’s where these two could’ve come in.
At the ages of just 19 and 25, Musah and Bennacer could’ve been the perfect midfield duo to for Mikel Arteta’s side to build around for years to come, but sadly, the Gunners were unable to make the most of these players’ talents while they were on their books.
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