In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs mentioned that Arsenal have a genuine interest in Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Lucas Paqueta this summer. Jacobs said,
“Paqueta’s still an interesting one; Arsenal’s interest is real. They admire the player, but they haven’t really moved.
“They’ve never placed an offer, so when Jean-Michel Aulas spoke of lots of offers, I think I was one of the first to report that Arsenal and Newcastle were not teams that had ever gone to Lyon, they’d simply explored the option with the agent.”
Paqueta’s Growing Influence At Lyon
Paqueta had a solid campaign in French football as he managed to be a consistent performer for Lyon in the final third. The Brazilian talent was involved in 43 matches for his current employers last season, registering 11 goals and seven assists in all competitions.
The 24-year-old was a reliable performer in the opponent’s half based on his average of 2.5 shots, 1.2 key passes and 2.3 dribbles per game in Ligue 1. He even interchanged possession quite well with his teammates after completing 79.6% of his attempted passes in the top tier of French football (stats via whoscored).
Should Arsenal Snap Paqueta Up This Summer?
Paqueta can create space for himself to get a few shots in on target and loves to contribute by scoring his fair share of goals in the final third. He has even got the eye to play a killer pass to open up the opposition defence. Paqueta usually operates in the number ten position but can even play as a box-to-box midfielder or as a centre-forward if his manager tells him to do so.
The Brazilian playmaker can even complete some dangerous dribbles in the opponent’s half and has got the technical quality to retain possession in tight spaces. Someone of his skillset will undeniably be a good acquisition for Arsenal in this off-season.
Paqueta will enhance the quality of Mikel Arteta‘s midfield department and could help the Gunners secure a top-four spot in the Premier League next season. Therefore, the North London giants should think about snapping the Brazilian up before the end of this summer transfer window.
