Bringing both Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice to Arsenal in the same summer would certainly be a financial challenge, but something Mikel Arteta should at least explore
When Arsenal fans saw Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz all lined up to start against Manchester United, it was probably seen as a dream to see their new midfield trio in action for the first time, but very quickly it turned into something of a nightmare.
The pre-season friendly between the two Premier League rivals was an exuberant confrontation to say the least with a tough challenge from Lisandro Martinez on Bukayo Saka setting the tone early on. Coming out of the game, perhaps the biggest injury concern was on the other side of the coin after Amad Diallo was seen leaving MetLife Stadium on crutches.
Much of the chat following the match was therefore discussions of the (unnecessary to some) physicality and aggression displayed, which seemed to obscure a clear tactical issue that Mikel Arteta may not have foreseen. In principle, the plan seemed simple: Rice would pick up loose balls, cut the passing lines and win back possession before feeding passes into the forward pair of Odegaard and Havertz, with Jurrien Timber turning around to help in possession. However, the obvious disadvantages came when the Gunners didn’t have the ball or were caught making a substitution. Last season Odegaard was often the furthest ahead of Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey, but in this system Havertz led the pressing in a 4-4-2 layout, although he was often easily outflanked by United.
For all its controversy, the protection offered by Xhaka to Arsenal was vital and on the face of it, it doesn’t look like Havertz already offers the same level of reassurance. This led to Rice being repeatedly isolated and ultimately unable to stop Man United’s flowing attacks or win the ball back as Erik ten Hag’s men controlled the pace of the game.
Rice is an elite level defensive midfielder, but in West Ham’s 2022/23 season he has grown and become a bigger threat in the final third. His intense pressure on Thomas Partey against Arsenal, which gave the Hammers a penalty at the London Stadium meeting, highlighted how useful he can be further forward. What was shown on his first start for Arsenal on Saturday night was that perhaps, in the system Arteta wants to deploy, he would be better in a more advanced role.
Of course, that would put Havertz in a difficult position with no clear route back to the team and it would also land Arteta and Edu two key decisions. The first would be Thomas Partey’s future, with it perhaps never seeming more important than now that he stays with Arteta and seems to agree.
When asked if the Ghana international was part of his plans, the Spaniard replied: “Without a doubt. Thomas is a very important player for us and for me. I want him to be on the team. Certainly. “Every time I’ve talked to him and had a conversation with him, he’s ready to be with us. There’s just nothing for me.”
However, a departure from Partey is still a possibility with strong interest from Italy and Saudi Arabia, but even if he remains, Arsenal should at least consider signing another defensive midfielder. In matches where the north Londoners are likely to dominate the ball, Rice would certainly start in the starting role behind Odegaard, Havertz, Emile Smith Rowe or Leandro Trossard; But against other elite opponents, Arsenal could control games more effectively if they played Rice in an advanced role.
However, with the Gunners hoping to be in contention for all the trophies next season and a Champions League return also bringing hope to the north London players, signing another top midfielder should be a top priority and Edu appears to have had one last chance to sign Moises Caicedo.
Minimal progress has been made after weeks of negotiations with Chelsea and Brighton are now adamant that Levi Col will be part of any deal with Caicedo finalized this summer, reports the Guardian. However, as football.london have reported throughout the summer, the Blues are unwilling to sell Colwill at any cost.
Therefore, the talks between the two sides will hit a significant stumbling block which Arsenal could exploit. With a proposed trade deal from Brighton involving Colwill, the Gunners have been able to bring one back and solve two issues simultaneously by including the likes of Kieran Tierney or Folarin Balogun in a deal, with the duo due to depart this summer.
Signing a striker or left-back doesn’t appear to be a priority for Roberto De Zerbi, but Pervis Estupinan missed the game against Chelsea and saw Pascal Gross replace the full-back. Evan Ferguson and Danny Welbeck sharing the top starting position show De Zerbi are not clear favourites, but the signing of Balogun could change that, especially with European football coming to the Amex Stadium this season.
Of course, Arsenal’s insistence on Caicedo in January may have damaged the relationship which was strong between the two parties, and the Gunners are extremely unlikely to spend another three-figure sum on a midfielder this summer. While Chelsea are not making progress in the Caicedo transfer saga, the opportunity is there for Arsenal.