Is Ansu Fati leaving Barcelona?
Having welcomed Kai Havertz to the Emirates as their first signing of the window, Jurrien Timber, Declan Rice and David Raya all followed suit by joining the north London revolution which has ambitions of claiming the Premier League title this season.
However, their stuttering start to the campaign has immediately drawn questions regarding their capability to achieve such a feat, with a real lack of creativity and cutting edge leading to three unconvincing results against far weaker opposition.
Therefore, perhaps there might be one final move to be made, adding another attack-minded winger to round off a squad suitably bolstered.
Although their mooted interest in Barcelona's Ansu Fati clearly came to nothing, given his move to Brighton and Hove Albion is now imminent, perhaps they could instead seek to reignite another rumour by plucking Kaoru Mitoma from the side who snagged the Spaniard from them.
After all, the blow would be softened by their brand new signing and would be sufficiently renumerated given his reported £50m price tag.
How good is Kauro Mitoma?
Whilst the 20-year-old dynamo boasts immense potential, with a wealth of experience far beyond many within his age category, there remain a few key factors that could suggest Fati might not have been the right fit for what Arteta is trying to build.
Arsenal signings this summer
Fee Paid
Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
£65m
Jurrien Timber (Ajax)
£38m
Declan Rice (West Ham United)
£105m
David Raya (Brentford)
Loan
All fees via Sky Sports
After all, his move is a straight loan deal, meaning after one year he will depart the Emirates, offering now long-term value to a project that is nearly four years in the making.
Not only that, but the injury history of the Spain international is highly questionable, and should those issues flare up once again, it could turn into a very expensive headache for the 41-year-old head coach, who already has spent big this summer.Meanwhile, Mitoma has more than earned his status as one of the Premier League's most dangerous wingers, racking up 36 appearances in the competition after a stellar last season that has caught the eye.
The 26-year-old is at a fine age to both earn success now whilst also continuing his growth, and did score ten and assist a further eight across all competitions last term, firing the Seagulls into Europe and giving their fans a trip to Wembley as they reached the FA Cup semi-final - journalist Dan George sought to outline his success from that year, noting:
"Special football player! What a season Kaoru Mitoma is having".
kaoru-mitoma-4
This form has clearly been translated into the new term too, given he already has three goal contributions in as many league matches so far.
To see writer Seb Stafford-Bloor having branded him "outrageous" and "magic" should come as no surprise, as when compared to other wingers across Europe, Mitoma sits in the top 5% for progressive carries per 90, and the top 2% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, via FBref.
He is a consistent goal threat with the ability to score and create for his team, and although Fati already boasts 112 appearances for the Catalan giants, his seven goals and four assists in LaLiga mark a worse return than his alternative from last year, in a division ranked well below the English top flight on UEFA's coefficient list, despite being second.
Whilst Fati will likely mark a fine addition to Roberto De Zerbi's team, it does mark an opportunity for Arteta to secure an alternative by now prying Mitoma from them at the eleventh hour
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