Arsenal Remain Interested In Recruiting This Juventus Midfielder: Should Arteta Make A “MOVE”??
In a recent report, Calciomercato stated that Arsenal remain interested in recruiting Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo this summer. It has been claimed that the Gunners are considering whether to give up Gabriel Magalhães to secure the Brazilian midfield ace’s services during this summer transfer period.
Melo had a difficult campaign at the Allianz Stadium as he failed to give a good account of himself at the centre of Juve’s midfield. The Brazil international participated in 31 matches for the Turin giants last season but failed to score a goal and picked up just one assist in multiple competitions.
The South American sensation struggled to perform at his best after he averaged 1.3 tackles, 0.4 interceptions, 0.4 clearances and 0.5 dribbles per 90 minutes in Serie A football. The 25-year-old was even tidy when interchanging possession from midfield, as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 89.7% in the Italian top-flight (stats via whoscored).
Melo is a tough-tackling midfielder who can anchor the midfield with conviction when he is playing with confidence on the pitch. The Juventus talent usually operates as a defensive midfielder but can even act as a box-to-box midfielder if required. However, he has struggled to find form at the Allianz Stadium over the past 11 months.
Still, there is no doubt that the Brazilian midfield ace has what it takes to make an immediate impact at a club like Arsenal if Mikel Arteta is willing to back him on the field.
At the moment, Melo looks like a player out of confidence and out of form. Hence, a change of scenery could do his career a world of good. At 25, the Brazilian has his peak years ahead of him which makes him a decent option for the Gunners to consider during this summer transfer window.
We can expect Melo to inject more bite and steel into Arteta’s defensive department at the Emirates Stadium. All in all, Arsenal should focus on launching a move to bring the Juve midfielder to the English capital before the start of the new campaign.