It's no different for Arsenal, and while they seem to be edging ever closer to the signing of Italy ace Riccardo Calafiori, they have also been heavily linked to another star from the Euros and one who's going to be in the final, Mikel Merino.
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The Spanish midfielder looks to be a brilliant player, but based on recent reports, Edu Gaspar and Co may now be looking closer to home for midfield reinforcements to help get even more out of Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from journalist Valentin Furlan, Arsenal are one of several teams interested in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers ace Joao Gomes this summer.
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Alongside the Gunners, Furlan claims that Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have all "shown interest" in the midfielder and that the Old Gold are "not opposed" to selling him this summer.
He does not mention a potential price for the player, but a report from GIVEMESPORT last month revealed that the Brazilian star would cost in the region of £50m.
Pedro Neto and Joao Gomes
It would be a pricey transfer to get over the line, but with Premier League experience under his belt, one likely worth pursuing, especially as he may be able to get more out of Rice and Odegaard than Merino.
Why Gomes would be a good signing
Similar to Rice, Gomes spent last season starting in a central and defensive midfield role, but while the Englishman started the majority of matches - 30 - as a six, he started the majority - 31 - in central areas.
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This is one of the key reasons he'd be such a valuable signing for the Gunners. He could become the team's recognised eight, which would allow the former West Ham United captain to remain firmly placed at the base of midfield, in a role he has admitted to being his "best position."
Moreover, starting the 23-year-old "warrior," as talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him, would also help get even more out of club captain Odegaard.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard
He'd do this by adding even more defensive solidity to the North Londoners' midfield, which could allow the Norwegian to focus solely on what's ahead of him.
This extra security is best seen through his FBref scout report, which compares players in similar positions in the Premier League last season and ranks them in percentiles for important underlying metrics.
Joao Gomes 23/24 PL Stats
Stats
Per 90
Percentile
Tackles
4.35
Top 1%
Tackles (Def 3rd)
2.28
Top 1%
Tackles Won
2.51
Top 3%
Tackles (Mid 3rd)
1.66
Top 5%
Dribblers Challenged
3.36
Top 5%
Tackles + Interceptions
4.96
Top 5%
Passes Blocked
1.46
Top 16%
Blocks
1.73
Top 17%
All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Premier League Season
For the Wolves ace, he sits in the top 1% of midfielders for tackles and tackles in the defensive third, the top 3% for tackles won, the top 5% for tackles in the middle third, dribblers challenged and tackles plus interceptions, the top 16% for passes blocked and the top 17% for blocks in general, all per 90.
Just imagine an Arsenal team with the Brazilian in the eight, Rice in the six, and the back four that created the best defence in the league last season - they'd never concede.
Lastly, with Merino set to cost up to £52m, Gomes's main advantage over him is that he now has Premier League experience under his belt. While it might only be a season and a half, that's a significant period of time if the Gunners are determined to finally topple Manchester City next year.
Ultimately, it might be a challenging transfer to secure, but adding the Wolves star to Arteta's team this summer could transform them into one of the most formidable defensive units in world football, and as Sir Alex Ferguson once said, "attack wins you games, defence wins you titles."
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