Arsenal have enjoyed an encouraging start to the 2023/24 campaign, as Mikel Arteta bids to improve his squad’s second-place Premier League finish of last season.
The Gunners fell just five points short of Manchester City last term after leading the pack for the majority of the calendar, however the highs that the north Londoners achieved existed outside of being crowned champions.
By finishing second, Arsenal re-entered the Champions League for this campaign, marking their first involvement in the competition since 2017 to reinforce their progression under Arteta.
While topping the table for 248 days and failing to bring home the prize set a rather unwanted record for the Gunners, the club ensured that the cracks that led to their downfall were fixed in the summer transfer window.
A lack of squad depth – as club legend Tony Adams noted – heavily contributed to the north Londoners' inability to win the league on the home straight, an element that was addressed through the arrival of four new faces to the Emirates from the transfer market.
Aside from the opening-day injury to Jurrien Timber, the new additions are finding their feet well at Arsenal, however there is still work to be done, with sources claiming that further reinforcements are already being eyed for January.
Arsenal transfer news
Despite spending a club-record fee of £105m to welcome Declan Rice in the summer, it seems as though the midfield could be a focus point in the winter market for Arteta to bolster.
As relayed by journalist Jason Soutar from news speculated in Italy, Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey could look to exit the Emirates in January amid concerns over his game time.
Despite his lack of game time relating to his ongoing battles with fitness, the Ghanaian is said to be “increasingly dissatisfied” by his lack of minutes, adding to the pressure of potentially losing a key member of the favoured XI.
Luckily, Arsenal have been named as the potential suitors for two defensive midfielders in particular, with Football Transfers claiming that Real Madrid maestro Aurelien Tchouameni is a player admired by those in north London.
Valued at €100m (£86m) by CIES Football Observatory, the actual likeness of the Frenchman arriving in Islington in January is questionable, however the link highlights the area that Arteta and Edu could aim to strengthen in the future.
Elsewhere, in a more likely transfer, reports in Brazil in recent weeks have placed Arsenal in good stead to battle Liverpool for the signature of Fluminense star, Andre.
The report claims that any talks regarding the availability of the midfielder, who has a release clause valued at £34m, will take place at the end of the season in Brazil, with the Serie A term concluding in December.
The opportunity to capture the 22-year-old could arise in January, but not without a fight as Liverpool came knocking for the Brazilian in the summer in a move that was rejected by Fluminense and Andre.
As relayed by 90min, the 5 foot 9 menace explained how he believes that “every player one day dreams of playing for a big club in Europe”, however his duty was to remain at Fluminense to complete the season.
It’s set to be an interesting saga regarding the future of Andre and which club will be lucky enough to sign him, as the Brazil international continues to impress in his homeland.
Andre's style of play
After rising through the ranks of Fluminense’s academy, Andre has become a key element of the squad, prevailing as one of the best up-coming midfielders in Brazil.
In the summer, the 22-year-old was handed his first international cap as a reward for his high performance levels at club level, with his second cap and second call-up earned earlier this month.
South American football expert Nathan Joyes is a figure who has watched the talent of Andre unfold, describing the defensive midfielder as an “unbelievable ball carrier” and an “advanced forward thinker” for his method of play in the engine room.
Such praise is reinforced by the numbers Andre has accumulated over the past year, averaging 60.37 carries and 6.26 progressive passes per 90 to portray his ability to make a difference in possession, via FBref.
As well as being a highly competent passer of the ball, averaging a mammoth 94.0% pass completion rate per 90, the Brazilian has a combative side to his game in defensive midfield, with the ability to win the ball as well as play it.
As per FBref, over the past year, Andre has averaged 2.32 tackles per 90, and more prominently, recorded an average of tackling 65.7% dribblers he is faced with per 90, supporting his claim to being a defensively impactful presence in the midfield.
The stats that show Andre would be a good signing for Arsenal
Once lauded as “the orchestrator” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Andre could be the ideal acquisition for Arsenal with reference to an element that has been missing from the midfield since the summer.
By losing Granit Xhaka, Arteta was forced to find alternative solutions to fill the roaming void left by the Swiss international, who boasted an expert presence in the final third thanks to his playmaking and passing ability.
Like Xhaka, Andre enjoys seeing a lot of the ball to give himself the space to dictate play ahead of him, supported by his average of 94.4 touches per game in the 2023 Serie A paired with his desire to move upfield.
Last season for Arsenal, Xhaka averaged 5.89 progressive passes per 90 in the Premier League, a figure that has been topped this season by the Brazilian, whose average sits at 6.76 per 90 in Serie A.
Fulfilling the absence of the role previously equipped to Xhaka could give Arteta a further dimension in midfield, replicating a method that served the Gunners so well last term, however it wouldn’t be the only area that Andre could bolster.
How Andre compares to Thomas Partey
As touched upon previously, Partey’s future at Arsenal is speculated to be in jeopardy, which could open the door for a new midfielder to occupy the space left by the Ghanaian.
At 30 years old, it would be suitable for the Gunners to identify an eventual heir to Partey, with a future midfield pairing of 22-year-old Andre and 24-year-old Rice a magnificent prospect for those at the Emirates to consider.
Statistic
Andre
Partey
Pass completion %
94.3%
87.2%
Progressive passes
6.76
8.37
Progressive carries
1.97
1.23
Tackles
2.01
2.54
Dribblers tackled %
56.8%
48.1%
Interceptions
1.17
1.01
Per 90 figures via FBref
As highlighted in the table above, the Brazilian has a similar range of strengths to Partey, excelling the former Atletico Madrid in some areas to portray just how much of a success he could be in Arteta’s midfield.
In pairing him with Rice, the duo could form a successful pivot based on their similarities in enjoying going forward as well as acting as the anchor, in a move that could ease the blow of potentially losing Partey in the future.