Arsenal are in the market for a new midfielder this summer it seems, and a very exciting Bundesliga midfielder is reportedly towards the top of the list…
According to German publication BILD, Arsenal are amongst a number of clubs actively pursuing the signature of RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita. Guinea born, Keita is a central player with lots of strengths. Whilst he is not great in possession (79% pass accuracy), he is incredibly efficient at both ends, and would certainly give the Arsenal midfield something they need.
Keita is a midfielder that has drawn comparisons to N’Golo Kante because of his high work rate, but he perhaps has the ability and potential to be an even better player than Kante. His skillset is not as limited and that is highlighted by his 4 goals and 7 assists from defensive midfield this season. All this in just 22 league games, that’s a better return than some attacking midfielders at Arsenal.
We’ve seen how succesful Kante has been, and many Arsenal fans are gutted we missed out on him. It seems the next closest player to Kante in the market is Keita. He’s being valued at around £25million and I would argue that aged just 22, that would be a massive bargain if Arsenal could secure his signing.
The Gunners invested a similar amount in Granit Xhaka (23) and I feel Xhaka would excel when partnered with a player like Keita. Between them, they have a bit of everything and could resemble the (surely) title-winning midfield partnership of Matic and Kante.
Defensively Keita is very good, and he has averaged 2.5 tackles and 2.6 interceptions per 90 minutes this season.
Whilst Keita isn’t the biggest physically, he makes up for it with his work rate and overall ability. I think he would add fight to this Arsenal midfield, and that is a quality that has been so clearly lacking from the squad this season.