Arsenal's defensive midfielders
The Gunners have Jorginho, Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey as three of their natural options in defensive midfield as it stands, but there’s a strong possibility that all of the trio could be heading for the exit door, whether that be next month or later in the summer.
Mikel Arteta’s formerly mentioned pair will have both reached the expiration of their deals at the end of the season (Arsenal contracts), while the latter has been heavily linked with a departure having told the club that he wants to leave after attracting interest from Juventus.
Should Edu Gaspar lose any of the mentioned midfielders, the sporting director may have to enter the market to find some suitable replacements in that particular position, with Everton’s Amadou Onana having been highlighted as a potential candidate at the Emirates Stadium.
According to Sacha Tavolieri, Belgium’s international was on the radar of chiefs in the capital at the start of the year, and while a deal failed to come to fruition before the deadline in January, the 22-year-old could soon be the subject of another approach.
Arsenal keeping tabs on Onana
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Dean Jones revealed that Arsenal are interested in Onana and are "drawing up reports on how he would fit into" Arteta's side, though he’s unsure whether this is a move that they could afford at this moment in time. He said:
"A few Everton fans probably wanted to drive Onana to another club when he missed that penalty against Fulham in such miserable fashion but at the moment, as a club, they want to keep hold of him.
"At the end of the season, I do think there will be some potential for a transfer but when we directly assess his chances of joining Man United or Arsenal in January, the likelihood is slim.
"Of the two I would say Arsenal would be more realistic though, given they are having a genuine look at this area of the field and have been drawing up reports on how he would fit into their set-up. But I have major reservations on how much Arsenal can invest and if the bulk of any transfer pot would be spent on the midfield."
Onana is a "one-man army" in the centre
Standing at 6 foot 3, Onana provides a real physical presence and adds a different dimension to the centre of the park with his height where he’s currently averaging 2.4 aerial wins per game in the top flight, but he’s also capable of throwing himself into challenges (WhoScored - Onana statistics).
The Dakar native is recording the exact same number of tackles in each match as it stands, representing his desire to get stuck in to try and win back possession for his team, with his all-round style of play having seen him dubbed a “one-man army” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.
At Everton, Onana will be used to playing Arsenal and he knows what it takes to grind out a result against them having secured a victory as part of the opposition (Transfermarkt - Onana stats), so if he’s capable of performing to this high level wearing an away shirt, imagine how much more he could improve under the guidance of Arteta.
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