In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, journalist Paul Brown offered an update on Arsenal and their pursuit of Inter Milan star Nicolo Barella. Brown said,
“Arteta told us on Friday that he wasn’t expecting any more business to be done, unless something unforeseen happens or a player leaves the club.
“So I think another midfield signing entirely depends on whether a midfielder is sold really, or if an offer comes in and Arsenal decide that it’s right for them to take it.
“I don’t think that they’re close to signing Barella, I don’t think they’re pushing very hard really for that one.
“But he is someone I think they quite like and someone who’s on their list. But like I say, I think any more incomings rely on outgoings now at Arsenal.”
Barella’s Impressive Form In Italian Football
Barella had a solid campaign at the Milan club recently as he was responsible for putting in a run of influential displays for them in the middle of the park. The 26-year-old did well to score nine goals and secure ten assists in 52 matches for the Italian outfit last season on all fronts.
The Italian midfield ace deserves a ton of credit for averaging 1.4 tackles, 0.9 shots, 1.6 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per game in Serie A. He was even accurate when distributing the ball from midfield after completing 85% of his attempted passes in league football (stats via whoscored).
Should Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Move In For Barella?
Barella is a solid tackler of the ball and has got the vision to engineer a few promising chances for his teammates in the opponent’s half. He can shoot the ball with power from long range and can make a few driving runs with the ball from midfield.
The Italian sensation is primarily a box-to-box midfielder but can also function as a defensive midfielder or play in the number ten position if needed.
Barella would have brought more bite and steel to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta‘s midfield. However, the Gunners are well-stocked in the midfield department at the moment.
Hence, it doesn’t make sense for the North London club to spend more of their transfer budget on another midfielder. With all things considered, Arteta should not move in for the Italy international during this summer transfer period as he will be better off strengthening other areas of their match-day squad this month.
