Arsenal pursue ‘generational’ midfielder in £100m move

Although they haven’t been perfect, Arsenal have been by far the best team in the Premier League this season.

Mikel Arteta’s side are four points clear of second place, and while the attack has yet to fully click, the rest of the team has been exceptional.

One of the standout stars, as was the case last year and the season before, was Declan Rice.

The England international has made the difference on several occasions so far, and so fans should be delighted with reports linking Arsenal with someone who could be another Rice-type signing.

Arsenal target another Declan Rice

There are a few stars in the running for Arsenal’s Player of the Season award so far, and Rice is undoubtedly one of them.

As well as becoming even more of an attacking threat in that left eight position he played in last season, the former West Ham United captain showed more of that defensive steel he was famous for, dropping into a double pivot on several occasions with Martin Zubimendi.

With the Englishman thriving in all phases of the game, it is no surprise to see Arsenal moving towards another player of his ilk, an international star in the making: Adam Wharton.

At least that’s according to a recent report from Spain, which claims the Gunners are one of several teams keen to sign the Crystal Palace star.

The report revealed that, alongside the north Londoners, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are rushing to sign the 21-year-old, while Real Madrid are also monitoring the situation.

However, as well as beating the competition, the Gunners will have to fork out around £100million to entice the Eagles to sell the jewel in their crown.

That said, Wharton’s immense ability and potential make him a player worth pushing the boat out on, particularly after an impressive first start for his country during the November international break.

Why Wharton would be another Rice for Arsenal

Described as “the best U21 player in the Prem” by one analyst, if Arsenal were to bring Wharton to the Emirates in January it would be another example of poaching a highly-rated central midfielder from another Premier League team.

Additionally, they would once again recruit England’s best central midfielder from a non-big six team based in London.

Finally, this would be the second time in a three-year period that people in north London have spent more than £100 million to do so.

Now, beyond what would make the deals so similar, what makes the Palace ace analogous to the former West Ham star?

Well, just like his older compatriot at the time of his move, the 21-year-old ace is highly rated, with former Sky Sports employee Matthew Stanger calling him a “generational talent” and a CONCACAF B-certified coach dubbing him “the best deep-lying English midfielder since Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick”.

While that is indeed high praise, it’s easy to see where he’s coming from, just like the 72-cap England star, he’s capable of doing more than just sitting deep and shielding the back four.

For example, FBref ranks him among the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for expected assisted goals, top 4% for key passes, top 5% for through passes, top 10% for shot creation actions, and more, all per 90 minutes.

What’s more, he has already won three senior caps for the Three Lions and played a pivotal role in the Eagles’ FA Cup victory last season – the first major honor in their history.

Ultimately, he’s still early in his career, but Wharton appears to be a superstar in the making and, under the guidance of someone like Arteta, could become another Rice-type monster.