Ray Parlour has urged Arsenal to sign the ‘ball-player’ Youri Tielemans after Gabriel Jesus’ transfer from Manchester City is confirmed.
The Highbury hero claimed that Arsenal need a player like Tielemans in the middle of the park and thinks the Gunners will now ‘look down the spine of the team’ after the Jesus transfer.
Tielemans is a player the Gunners are looking at, he has one-year-left on his Leicester City contract, but there is also talk that he could pen his future down at the King Power.
The issue for Mikel Arteta is that he can’t provide Champions League football to the 25-year-old, but that hasn’t been an issue with Jesus who is dropping down from the Premier League champions.
Either way, Parlour wants Tielemans in the building, as he explained the situation with Thomas Partey, Sambi Lokonga and Granit Xhaka, who currently occupy those midfield spots, as he told talkSPORT.
“I think (Lisandro) Martinez is one,” said Parlour. “I know they are in for him from Ajax. I am looking down the spine of the team and I think that’s where they might strengthen.
“As you mentioned, Tielemans is a really good ball-player. They have got Partey, who had his injury problems last season. He missed quite a lot of games. You have got Lokonga, who is going to get better and he’s still young.
“But I think that’s the area. Xhaka is getting that little bit older. I think that’s the area they really need to look at. Get balls through the line and Tielemans would be ideal.
“Let’s hope, with my Arsenal hat on, they can somehow get him over the line, and in the ideal world, get everyone signed up by the (pre-season) tour.”
ARSENAL’S MIDFIELD
One of the main reasons why Arsenal missed out on Champions League football last season was their midfield and a lack of options when injuries and suspensions hit.
Partey was injured and suspended, Xhaka got his yearly red card, whilst Lokanga struggled in his first season in charge and Ainsley Maitland-Niles was allowed to go out on loan in January.
That depleted the middle of the pitch for the Gunners towards the end of the campaign, but added with that, Maitland-Niles will now be back from his loan spell, whilst Mohamed Elneny has put pen-to-paper on a new contract.
Then there are the more attacking options of Martin Odegaard, whilst Emile Smith Rowe can also play in that position behind the striker and Fabio Vieira has also been signed up.
So, perhaps Arsenal need to offload some players before they can make a move for Tielemans because if no-one is rushing to buy him now, then they can always get him on a free next term.
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