This has been a testing first window as Arsenal Sporting Director for Andrea Berta so far. Then again, it was never going to be easy was it?
The Gunners desperately need a new striker and the footballing world knows that. RB Leipzig and Sporting are trying to milk Arsenal for all Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres are worth.
The Londoners have reportedly held talks to sign both players but at this moment in time, a deal doesn’t look too forthcoming.
Still, Arsenal are active and Berta is working his socks off to ensure that Mikel Arteta’s side are ready for that opening weekend’s encounter against Manchester United.
The arrival of Martin Zubimendi will certainly help.
Arsenal’s pursuit of new midfielders
The Gunners are set to confirm the arrival of Zubimendi from Real Sociedad any day now.
The Spaniard was first linked with the club back in January when it was revealed that Arsenal were ready to trigger the midfielder’s release clause.
Fast forward several months and a deal is now on the verge of completion with it reported that he was in London over the weekend to tie up the formalities of his switch to the Emirates Stadium.
Zubimendi isn’t the only midfielder Arsenal have been tracking.
Indeed, according to TBR Football, they are ‘trying’ to sign PSG’s highly talented teenager, Warren Zaire-Emery.
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They understand that the Gunners started talks with the Champions League winners last week regarding a move.
However, any deal looks incredibly unlikely with the Ligue 1 side informing Arsenal that the 19-year-old is not for sale.
They note that if a switch did happen, Berta and Co would need to come armed with a ‘significant’ offer.
What makes Zaire-Emery so special
With Jorginho having exited the Emirates on a free transfer and Thomas Partey’s Arsenal adventure potentially set to come to a conclusion, Arteta needs more midfielders.
Zubimendi certainly ticks one box. European football expert, Sid Lowe, has previously noted that the 26-year-old “is just about as good a deep-lying midfielder there is in Europe, apart from maybe Rodri”.
So, wouldn’t it be rather special if he were partnered alongside Zaire-Emery?
The PSG sensation may be young but the fact of the matter is that he’s rather special. The teenager’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has already described him as “one of the best midfielders in the world” while data analyst Ben Mattinson notes that he is an “Mbappe at Monaco level of talent”, largely thanks to his blend of skills.
Arsenal have enjoyed the talents of some of the best young players in Europe throughout the years, none more so in the current day than Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Yet, Zaire-Emery reminds us of a certain Cesc Fabregas.
The Spaniard was younger than the French superstar when he moved to London, just 16, but his impact in the Premier League quickly helped him to showcase why he was one of the best young players in world football.
He eventually left Arsenal behind having scored 57 and assisted 95 in 303 outings. Named captain of the club when he was just 21, making him the youngest skipper in their history, there have been few better midfielders to grace Highbury and the Emirates over the last 20 years.
In short, he was a generational talent, an assist machine, someone who oozed class and could pass through the lines like very players on the planet.
Zaire-Emery, a player generating the same level of hype Fabregas was as a teenager, is cut from a similar cloth. He notably made his Champions League debut at the age of just 17, and since then, he’s gone from strength to strength.
1. Youssoufa Moukoko
Dortmund
16 years, 18 days
2. Lamine Yamal
Barcelona
16 years, 2 months
3. Rayan Cherki
Lyon
16 years, 3 months
4. Alen Halilovic
Zagreb
16 years, 4 months, 6 days
5. Youri Tielemans
Anderlecht
16 years, 4 months, 25 days
6. Francesco Camarda
AC Milan
16 years, 7 months, 12 days
7. Warren Zaire-Emery
PSG
16 years, 7 months, 17 days
8. Charalampos Mavrias
Panathinaikos
16 years, 7 months, 29 days
Compared to midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, he ranks in the top 3% for pass success rate, the top 9% for passes made and the best 10% for switches, a ball that travels more than 40 yards the width of the pitch.
What those numbers rubberstamp is the comparison to Fabregas, one of the best passers of the modern era.
While PSG’s teen superstar doesn’t quite possess the same rate of assists just yet – producing just two last season – his ability as a deep-lying playmaker certainly evokes memories of Fabregas in the latter stages of his career.
As for his development as a youngster, it certainly has hallmarks of the way the Spaniard burst onto the scene all those years ago.
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