In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth revealed that Arsenal have cooled their interest in Southampton ace Romeo Lavia. Sheth said,
“There’s lots of talk about Arsenal. Now, I’m told that, as it stands, that interest is not there. Maybe they’ve looked at him but, as it stands, the interest is not there.
“Like I’ve said before, I just wonder if and when they can release some of these players that they don’t want in the squad anymore and see how much money they can generate for those players and see how much wages they can get knocked off the bill, then aside of a right-sided player, is Lavia maybe somebody that they look at, particularly if the Thomas Partey situation continues?”
Lavia’s Solid Campaign At Southampton
Lavia caught the eye with his performances at the centre of Southampton’s midfield last season but failed to help the Saints avoid relegation from the Premier League. The 19-year-old scored one goal and registered one assist in 35 appearances for Southampton in the previous campaign across all competitions.
The Brussels-born midfield ace was a reliable performer at the St. Mary’s Stadium as he averaged 2.1 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 0.8 clearances and 1.0 dribbles per game in the Premier League. He was even accurate when distributing possession from midfield after making 86.4% of his attempted passes in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
Arsenal Cool Their Interest In Lavia: Right Move For Arteta?
Lavia is a tough-tackling midfielder who can sense the danger well to earn the ball back for his team at the centre of the park. He doesn’t hesitate to clear the danger when the opposition are on the front foot and can also make a few energetic runs with the ball from midfield.
The Belgian talent is primarily a defensive midfielder but can also operate as a box-to-box midfield if needed. He would have added more bite and steel to Arsenal‘s midfield.
Following the signing of Declan Rice from West Ham United, the Gunners have got enough quality in their midfield. Hence, it seems like the right move financially for the North London club to cool their interest in Lavia as Mikel Arteta doesn’t have the luxury to offer him a regular starting spot at the Emirates Stadium next season.
