Arsenal want to back Mikel Arteta in the transfer market this summer, and Sunday’s performance at Old Trafford showed why a new midfielder should be the club’s priority.
The Gunners got the win they needed to take the title race to the final day, but with a display that was out of kilter with their performances this season.
Arteta has transformed his side into one based around control, but on Sunday they were sucked into a disjointed affair.
In the end, United finished the match with more possession and Arsenal’s midfield never really got a foothold in the game.
It is not the first time this season that has happened, with Spurs also enjoying more of the ball during last month’s north London derby.
Arteta admitted after his side’s 3-2 win that had not been the game plan and that will surely have been the case on Sunday, too, given this was a patched-up Manchester United side hit by injuries.
There is no denying the talent of Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard — who were both shortlisted for the Premier League’s Player of the Season last week — but the task now is finding someone to play alongside them.
Thomas Partey has shown flashes of brilliance in recent weeks, however he struggled on Sunday at the base of midfield.
The Ghanaian’s afternoon started with him giving the ball away far too easily on the edge of his box,with Rasmus Hojlund slipping and scuffing his shot, and it set the tone for his afternoon.
On his day, Partey can be an excellent holding midfielder. The issue is that his form fluctuates and he cannot be relied upon, given his injury record. Sunday was just his eighth start in the league this season.
At 30, and with his one year on his contract, Arsenal need to be looking to the future, and the same goes with Jorginho.
The club has wisely agreed to keep the Italian for another season, but the 32-year-old has extended his stay by just 12 months.
Long term, a new midfielder is needed and, even though Arsenal also want a striker and defender this summer, the majority of the budget should go on that.
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Rice showed last summer how the going rate for a top Premier League midfielder is now £100million and that is what Newcastle want clubs to pay for Bruno Guimaraes — who has been scouted by the Gunners, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
What type of midfielder the club goes for will depend on Arteta’s plans for Rice, who was signed to play as a No6 but has since been pushed forward.
The 25-year-old has been a revelation and transformed Arsenal’s midfield. Now, the challenge for Arteta is to make a similar signing this summer.
