Could Arsenal sign Youri Tielemans?

By Oli Dickson Jefford

Youri Tielemans has been a key player for Leicester since he arrived at the club in January 2019, initially on a six-month loan deal from Monaco. 

The Belgian joined permanently the following summer and continued to make an impact ever since, most notably with his stunning winner in last season’s FA Cup final. 

However, there are rumours that the 24-year-old could move elsewhere at the end of the season, with Arsenal leading the race to sign the midfielder. 

With Tielemans still in contract and crucial to Brendan Rodgers’s side it is thought Arsenal may need to break the bank to bring him to North London. 

With that a key factor, should Arsenal look to sign him this summer? 

What does he offer? 

Tielemans is an incredibly versatile player, having started his career at Anderlecht as a holding midfielder before moving forward to become an attacking midfielder. 

However, with his on-the-ball strength and superb passing range he can still be employed as a holding midfielder if necessary, meaning he provides an extra option in that area. 

The Belgian’s passing has received particular praise for its accuracy, especially with long passes, while his pace and shooting power are excellent. 

He is also strong creatively and functions well alongside other playmakers in his side, with no midfield duos in the league with more goal contributions than him and James Maddison this season. 

While not an out and out goalscorer his output is improving with five league goals already this season, just one less than he scored throughout the entirety of the campaign. 

What would he offer Arsenal? 

The postponement of Sunday’s North London derby showed that Arsenal are currently struggling with their squad depth, and this is a particular problem in midfield. 

Signing Tielemans would be a strong way to counter that, especially considering he is comfortable in more than one position. 

Perhaps the main stumbling block is that he is now primarily an attacking midfielder and Arsenal have a few of these in fine form, most notably Martin Odegaard who plays in a similar position to the Belgian. 

However, Tielemans arguably has better end product than Odegaard at this stage, and Mikel Arteta would likely be able to form a system in which both can feature in the same line-up. 

Should Arsenal sign him? 

Signing the Belgian would make perfect sense from Arsenal’s perspective. 

He is incredibly talented and would thrive in an attacking team, which Arteta is trying to develop, with his end product improving and his attacking contributions already exceptional. 

At the age of 24 he is also likely not quite at his peak yet, meaning that Tielemans’ peak could emerge in North London if Arsenal can sign him soon. 

He would also provide cover for the centre of midfield, an area the Gunners have struggled recently, while bringing a level of experience that not many in the squad have. 

The main issue is the potentially hefty price tag, and rumours that Liverpool may also be interested. 

However, if Arsenal are serious about becoming genuine contenders once again signing someone of Tielemans’ quality is crucial and would provide a huge statement of intent. 

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