By Sumaiya Vawda
Youri Tielemans’ proposed move to Arsenal has the hallmarks of a transfer saga: he was scouted by Arseéne Wenger at Anderlecht in 2017, he’s been linked to Arsenal for a year, he seemed the most likely buy in the last transfer window due to league readiness and Arsenal employing a 4-3-3, and he only has 6 months left on his contract with no certainty as to where his future lies. The player himself has been met with divided reactions with some Gooners thrilled for such a move, others viewing it as sound business and a few being entirely against it and voicing so on Arsenal Twitter (which is in danger of seeing its end- RIP).
Conflicting reports assert that Arsenal will sign the Belgian on a free next summer, while others believe Leicester will attempt to extract a fee for the player in the January market. Some outlets are reporting that Tielemans will sign on to remain with Leicester. This would be a somewhat surprising twist as the player has had this contract offer on the table for the better part of two years. Interestingly, Tielemans’ name is being spread as a target in Barcelona circles too.
Do Arsenal need reinforcements in January? Absolutely. It’s less clear whether Tielemans would be the most impactful signing or even whether he should be the long-term heir to the new Xhaka role. This season Xhaka has been employed as part of the front five and has been forming attacking triangles and rotating well with Zinchenko and Martinelli. His late runs into the box and ball-striking has earned him 4 goals and 3 assists across all competitions. Tielemans has 3 goals and 1 assist to his name.
If we reduce the comparison down to heatmaps, Xhaka is mostly present in the attacking third on the left while Tielemans occupies the middle third on the right. Xhaka has outperformed the 25-year-old in most attacking metrics and notably eclipses him in touches in the attacking penalty area. Tielemans has made more tackles and blocks where Xhaka has made more clearances. It must be noted that their respective teams’ contrasting fortunes will certainly have impacted the numbers.
Leicester boss, Brendan Rodgers, has said the following on Tielemans, “It's not something we are thinking of [selling Tielemans] and not anything the club have said we need to do. We don't want to be offloading our best players, that's for sure.”
The foxes are evidently reluctant to sell but their hand may be forced by his contract situation. Expediting the move to January would provide Arteta with quality squad depth. There is a feeling, however, that a viable Partey backup and right-wing option are more pressing. If goals decide where Arsenal finish in the Premier League and how the team progresses through the Europa League, then an exciting forward signing who takes the burden off Martinelli and Saka might be welcomed in January ahead of the practical move for Tielemans. World Cup injuries and fatigue may also guide acquisitions.
Of course, hopes are that Emile Smith Rowe is fit and firing for the second half of the season. The club’s decision-making will have to be astute as who is to say that Tielemans waits for the Gunners if they don’t act in January.
All of this leaves us where we started- certain of Tielemans quality but uncertain of his future choices and timing of his move away from the King Power Stadium. The longer the saga rages, the more likely it will be retold when transfer seasons roll around.
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