Sport nationDone Deal: After completing Signing Of Havertz, Arsenal Set To Complete signing of Outstanding player to partner with Havertz
In signing one midfield general, they could give West Ham United’s captain the perfect work environment in north London.
Arsenal could be set to add another midfield general to their ranks, following on from the expected capture of their top target.
What’s the latest on Romeo Lavia to Arsenal?
That’s according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who took to Twitter to issue an update on the Gunners’ pursuit of Romeo Lavia.
Having been relegated with Southampton, the young star showed more than enough in his first year in senior football to merit widespread interest.
With the Premier League runners-up one of the teams interested, the Italian journalist expanded upon this:
“Understand Arsenal are advancing in talks to sign Roméo Lavia. Negotiations ongoing with Southampton and player’s camp, still no official bid.”
Manchester City, his former club, do retain a £40m buy-back clause which would expire should he make the switch to north London.
Would Romeo Lavia be a success at Arsenal?
The 19-year-old “diamond” – as dubbed by scout Jacek Kulig – may have suffered the drop in just his first campaign in the top flight, but many would argue that his performances did not deserve such a fate.
He was the ever-present heartbeat of a struggling Saints side, forming a fine partnership with James Ward-Prowse in the engine room.
His workmanlike exploits allowed the English maestro to push on and shine in a more advanced role, and in the end, the 28-year-old recorded 16 goal contributions with Lavia as the catalyst for such success.
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Should the £25k-per-week Belgian now opt to move to the Emirates, he could once again strike up a similar partnership if Mikel Arteta manages to get his hands on Declan Rice too.
After all, recording 1.1 interceptions and 2.1 tackles per game in the league offer this defensive foundation, whilst Lavia marries this with an 86% pass accuracy and 68% dribble success rate too, via Sofascore.
He is as press resistant as he is solid, and is only set to grow with age too. This makes for a scary prospect, given that journalist, Benjy Nurick already views him as a “monster”.
He could soon be one of the best defensive midfielders in the division, which could allow West Ham United’s captain to flourish into a true creative threat too, something Ward-Prowse was able to do for the Saints despite their relegation.
The West Ham skipper did manage to record four goals and two assists last term, alongside his 2.1 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and one key pass per game in the league, via Sofascore.
It is the former figures that Arteta will be keen to help stand out, given he is set to lose the 14 goal contributions that Granit Xhaka offered with his expected exit.
To think that Rice did all this beside Tomas Soucek, with someone like Lavia in his place and the qualities of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and more to supplement him, this midfield hero could soon be set to explode into an imperative cog that helps to topple Pep Guardiola’s current monopoly on English football.
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