With Granit Xhaka out for months with an injury sustained in the North London derby, Asrenal will be light on midfield options. Links with Bruno Guimaraes and Brighton’s, Yves Bissouma could offer up good options to bolster the squad.
The Arsenal Way's presenter and writer, Tom Canton (TC) spoke with Chris Davison (CD) and Umar Choudhry (UC), on Thursday morning’s The Arsenal Agenda Show to discuss the transfer links.
Here's a brief look at what was said:
UC: “January has always been a difficult market compared to the summer window. There are talks about Granit Xhaka and the injury being around twelve weeks. He’ll probably come back at the start of 2022 in January.
“So, obviously he’s got a big influence in the Arsenal setup. Arteta loves him so it wouldn’t really make sense to splash the cash in terms of a bid signing in midfield. However, if the situation was to change and the injury wasn’t three months and it was longer then maybe we can assess.
“I like Bruno Guimaraes. I think he’s a very good player and thinks he’s the perfect signing. Say if Granit Xhaka was to leave the club he could fit in quite easily in the Arsenal team. He’s accomplished in the defensive side of the game and is a difficult player to get past.
“His long range of passing is really good as well. He’s starting to come into his own in the Lyon set-up. So, whilst Chris, say Houssem Aouar, he’s gone a bit under the radar because of his performances and attitude for the Lyon team.
“I think Bruno would be the signing in terms of the qualities that we need and the intensity Arteta is looking for. Bissouma will be good but we don’t know how much Brighton will charge in terms of price. It could be a lot because Bissouma is a good player.
“I saw a recent interview that he did on BBC Sport, he thinks he’s the best midfielder in the league. He is a great player but it depends on the situation on Granit Xhaka and his injury.
TC: “I would always be for Arsenal agreeing their squad in midfield. But, I don’t agree with bringing in Aouar. I think his attitude for Lyon is a sign for Arsenal in 2020 - with the stories coming out. He was kind of waiting for a Juve or a Real Madrid to come in for him.
“Where you hear about Tomiyasu where he heard the name Arsenal and just thought about signing. That’s the kind of attitude I want at the club. The player who understands the size of the club and wants to jump at the chance to sign.
“There’s also the side of consistency. He’s never been a widely consistent player at Lyon, he’s got loads of talent he’s a very good player. I just can’t get on the Aouar train.
“But, the idea of spending money on a Bissouma - if we can get it done is good.”
Who could replace Granit Xhaka in midfield for Arsenal, if the player is out for a long time? Follow our The Arsenal Way team members Tom , Chris , Umar and Renuka on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
