“He’s tall, physical, and a threat, he’s the only player in the world who is VERY similar to Patrick Vieira. He is a “one man army”- Arsenal Legend reveals Arsenal are set to replace injury prone Thomas Partey with a move for £90M ‘one man army’ whom Pep Guardiola rates very highly

Arsenal can sign the perfect Partey replacement with £90m “one-man army”

The 22-year-old could anchor Arsenal’s midfield for a decade.

The first half of the 2023/24 season has been mixed for Mikel Arteta’s exciting young Arsenal side. They sailed through their Champions League group and spent Christmas day atop the Premier League tree but have since fallen back down to fourth following consecutive defeats before New Year’s Day.

A team that had looked so good only a few weeks ago suddenly seem bereft of ideas, tired and in need of replenishment. However, injuries to the likes of Jurrien Timber, Fabio Viera and Thomas Partey have left Arteta with fewer options than he’d ideally want.

Partey’s injury record, in particular, has become a genuine concern over the last couple of years, and for as good as he can be, the latest player touted for a move to N5 could be the perfect replacement: Everton’s Amadou Onana.

Arsenal transfer news – Amadou Onana

According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal are on the lookout for midfield reinforcements this month and have now made an approach to sign Everton’s impressive Belgian.

The report has revealed that while the Gunners are interested in several midfielders – including Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz – they have turned their attention to the Toffees star and could make an offer for him in ‘the near future.’

Other Premier League sides have shown interest in the former LOSC Lille midfielder, including Chelsea and Manchester United, but the Gunners are keen to get ahead of them with a move this month.

While the other interested parties are sure to pose a challenge for the north Londoners, the most significant barrier to completing this deal could be the price that Everton are after, with TEAMtalk reporting that the Grand Old Team will not sell for anything less than £70m and are looking for offers closer to £90m.

Therefore, any move would require a massive investment from the Gunners, but for a player that talent scout Jacek Kulig described as the “complete package” and a “Swiss army knife in midfield”, he might prove to be worth it.

Amadou Onana could replace Thomas Partey

Now, replacing a player as good as Partey is going to be a mammoth task for whoever is asked to do it, and at 22 years old, it could be argued that Onana is too young to do so. However, as the saying goes, availability is the best ability, and while it isn’t his fault, Partey just never seems to be available anymore.

Since he arrived in North London in 2020, the former Atlético Madrid star has missed 63 games for club and country through injury, yet he missed just seven games in his entire career before joining the club. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how good you are if you can’t be relied upon throughout the season.

In comparison, Onana has missed just nine games since making his professional debut for Hamburg three years ago, and more importantly, he has not suffered the same injury twice.

So availability is clearly something that the Dakar-born dynamo has over his potential competition, but how do the duo’s underlying numbers from last season stack up?

Well, it doesn’t look good for the Arsenal man, as despite his clear superiority when it comes to progressive passes, it’s Everton’s “midfield powerhouse”, as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, who comes out on top in the majority of essential metrics.

He won more tackles, made more interceptions, made no errors that led to a goal and won significantly more aerial duels.

Ultimately, Partey is a player who will have to be moved on given his poor track record with injuries, and while it’ll cost the club an awful lot of money, signing the “one-man army”, as described by Jacek Kulig, that is Onana would be a fantastic idea.