Saturday morning deal- Mikel Arteta has requested that Arsenal sign 26 years old ‘spectacular’ £35M-rated Dutch maestro who is wanted by Manchester United’s Erik Ten Hag- Arteta plans to block every chance of United’s progress
Arsenal could reload an aura from the past with one player linked to the club, as Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong has emerged as a point of potential interest.
The 26-year-old is said to have gained interest from the Gunners, who are looking to pack their midfield with quality this summer with Mikel Arteta at the helm.
Amidst the La Liga champions’ financial worries, the Catalan giants could be forced to offload an abundance of talent this summer, with the Dutchman rumoured to be one to exit, as claimed by GOAL earlier this year.
What is Frenkie de Jong’s market value?
According to Arsenal transfer expert Dobbo via Twitter, the Gunners have ‘concrete’ interest in De Jong, with contact speculated to have been made between the club and the player’s agents.
While no fee is mentioned, the former Ajax prodigy is valued by FootballTransfers at €40.5m (£35m), making him a potentially affordable option for the north Londoners.
How good is Frenkie de Jong?
Lauded as “spectacular” by Barcelona manager and former midfield phenomenon Xavi, the one-time Ajax ace has the capabilities to become one of the continent’s best midfielders should his level of performance continue throughout his career.
The Dutchman is already operating at such levels, as highlighted by FBref, with the La Liga whizz ranking in the top 3% in Europe’s top five leagues in terms of number of attempted passes per 90, averaging 78.96 per 90.
Arsenal have enjoyed their fair share of classy midfielders over the years, with not many as impressive as the recently retired Cesc Fabregas.
Like De Jong, the Spaniard polished his game at Camp Nou, however his development and expertise came straight from north London, having joined the Premier League side as a teenager in 2003.
In the 2009/10 campaign, Fabregas contributed to 28 goals in 26 Premier League appearances for the Gunners, scoring 15 and assisting 13 in a golden season that marked his penultimate year in the capital, via WhoScored.
That term, the midfielder averaged a monstrous 3.5 key passes per game, as per WhoScored, highlighting the creative dominance he had over the side under Arsene Wenger’s reign.
An area of Fabregas’ game that shone so brightly was his desire to be on the ball paired with his eye for a good pass, attributes matched by his magical presence on the pitch where he averaged 66.1 passes per game in 2009/10.
Arteta could duplicate the role of the former Arsenal man in his era in north London by signing De Jong, who has been praised for similar attributes.
Averaging 68.4 passes per game in La Liga last season, the Dutchman is a keen passer of the ball, and an integral figure in Barcelona’s midfield at linking play.
As per FBref, the 26-year-old averaged 1.95 passes into the penalty area and 1.46 key passes per 90 in La Liga last term, highlighting his threat to the final third and ability to unlock defences from the middle of the park.
Hailed as “simply phenomenal” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, De Jong could become a key figure in Arteta’s side, and gift Arsenal an updated edition of their former maestro for a potentially smart price this summer.
