Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar have been busy in the last week, bringing in Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior, and it seems the January spending will not stop there, with midfield reinforcements seemingly on the agenda.Â
Amongst those midfield targets, Arsenal are exploring the profile of Andre Onana, according to numerous reports over the last 24 hours.Â
Everton have just sacked Frank Lampard and at this stage it is unclear who their manager will be. It seems unlikely that Everton would want to sell a player before that new manager is clear, but given the lacklusture financial situation at the club, a big bid for Onana, who they signed for £33million in the summer, could tempt them to be able to reinvest.Â
Onana is a monster defensively and shows the attributes of being able to play in that Thomas Partey role, should Partey get injured. Arsenal’s title charge feels very reliant on Partey’s fitness and adding Onana would go some way to mitigating the risk of an issue in that area.Â
The 21-year-old has also shown some technical abilities that make him a possible successor to Partey. He’s a player that was followed by the Gunners whilst at Lille before moving to Everton.Â
With Partey approaching 30, a younger option in that mould is exactly what Arsenal need, but equally a player Premier League ready. Onana fits the bill.Â
There was hope that Albert Sambi Lokonga could develop into this player but that hope is fading after a series of poor performances.Â
Mohammed Elneny has been a great servant to the club but the gap in quality between him and Partey is just too large if Arsenal are to sustain this table topping pace.