Why Arthur could prove a smart addition to the Arsenal squad

 

Back in 2020, Arthur was involved in one of the more intriguing deals in football. The Brazilian moved to Serie A side Juventus for a reported €72m, a transfer that saw Miralem Pjanic swap Turin for Barcelona. It's a transfer that has not benefitted either player. Pjanic currently plies his trade for Besiktas after seeing his dream move turn to a nightmare at Camp Nou. 

 

Arthur, meanwhile, has struggled for regular game time in Italy, starting just his fourth league game of the season in Saturday's 2-0 win over Udinese. The midfielder was withdrawn at half time and replaced with Manuel Locatelli. The main takeaway from the Serie A game was Paulo Dybala's non-celebration for his opening goal, but in being taken off at half time, Arthur's time at the club seems to be drawing to a close. 

 

Juventus are well-stocked in midfield, which would explain their reported willingness to allow Arthur to leave on loan this month. Arsenal have been tracking the Brazilian as they seek to bolster their ranks in the middle of the park. The Gunners are lacking numbers in midfield at present. Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny are with their respective countries at AFCON, while the decision to loan out Ainsley Maitland-Niles leaves them short in a key area of the pitch. 

 

While reports that Juventus want Partey in exchange may scupper the deal, Arsenal are aware they need to add to the midfield, not lose a midfielder, so the Gunners are unlikely to sanction the Ghana star's exit this month. Nevertheless, there is a good reason Arsenal are looking to land Arthur. 

 

He has struggled for regular action in Italy, yet that shouldn't be a reason to turn down the chance to land the 25-year-old if a deal is there to be done. A critique of Arsenal this season is that they lack an element of control in the middle of the park, which has previously proven their undoing. Of their midfielders to have made 10 or more league appearances this season, youngster Albert Sambi Lokonga (87.5%) boasts the best pass success rate. 

 

A possession average of 49.8% ranks ninth in the Premier League, while a pass success rate of 81.9% places them seventh in England's top tier. Of course, Arsenal could do with a player in the middle of the park to slow play down and dictate the tempo to allow the attackers to shine. 

 

 

Despite his limited showings in a Juventus shirt, Arthur has proven a distribution machine for the Old Lady since his move 18 months ago. Indeed, of those to have made 25 or more appearances since the start of the 2020/21 season, Arthur boasts a better pass success rate (93.1%) than any other central midfielder, that in itself a third best overall, and that return coming from 80.7 passes per 90.

 

When you consider that Granit Xhaka (7.3) and Partey (7) rank sixth and seventh, respectively, for inaccurate passes per game of all Arsenal players this season, it further heightens the need for a player to frequently retain possession for the good of the team. By comparison, Arthur averages just three inaccurate passes per game in Serie A since his move to Juventus in 2020. 

 

Granted, Serie A and the Premier League are entirely different leagues with differing styles between Juventus and Arsenal, yet Arthur's ability to slow the game down to his pace would only benefit the north London side. In addition, when pressured by opponents, the Brazil international has proven how capable a performer he is at getting out of tight spots. Of the 242 players to have attempted 25 or more dribbles since the start of the 2020/21 Serie A season, Arthur's dribble success rate of 78.6% is the 12th best in the division. 

 

By comparison, Partey (80%) is the only player who can better that return for Arsenal in the Premier League this season, and even that is negligible. Arthur is superb at finding a teammate when on the ball, but also at shaking off pressure from midfielders in order to work a better angle to pick a pass, which in turn would help Arsenal dominate opponents. 

 

Off the ball, he is no slouch, with 2.3 tackles per 90 this season a case in point, and if Arsenal can agree a deal that would see Arthur swap Turin for London, then they'll have struck a bargain, even if only on loan. We're halfway through the January transfer market and Arsenal are yet to add to the squad, with a handful of players going out on loan. The high profile pursuit of Fiorentina goal machine Dusan Vlahovic excites supporters, but it's the potential arrival of Arthur that could prove to be the smart addition to the squad this month.

Why Arthur could prove a smart addition to the Arsenal squad