In a recent edition of The Debrief, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano offered an update on Arsenal and their pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. Romano said,
“I’m not aware of any contact honestly between Arsenal and Frenkie De Jong at this point., remember that the salary of De Jong at Barcelona is a huge salary, it’s a big, big salary after the agreement they did years ago for Frenkie De Jong.
“The main problem has been that De Jong has never been desperate to leave Barcelona, it really depends on the player, if he goes there and says ‘let me go’ the situation could change, but at the moment the situation is the same. I think Frenkie is trying to figure out what’s happening at Barcelona, but it’s not already decided for Frenkie to leave.”
De Jong’s Impressive Numbers At The Nou Camp
De Jong has enjoyed a decent campaign at the Catalan club as he has managed to put in a handful of impressive displays at the heart of Xavi’s midfield. The 27-year-old has scored two goals in 30 matches for Barcelona this season across multiple competitions.
The Dutch talent has been a positive influence at both ends of the pitch based on his average 2.2 tackles, 0.7 interceptions, 1.4 clearances, 1.1 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per game in La Liga. He has even been tidy when distributing the ball from midfield after completing 93.1% of his attempted passes in the Spanish first division (stats via whoscored).
What Should Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Do With Regards To De Jong?
De Jong loves a tackle and can make some crucial interceptions for his team when he is playing well on the field. He doesn’t hesitate to clear the danger when needed and has got the vision to engineer a few meaningful chances for others around him in the opposition half.
The Dutch sensation is a good dribbler with the ball as well. He is primarily a box-to-box midfielder but can also play as a defensive midfielder if asked to do so. De Jong would have added more quality to Arsenal‘s first team if Mikel Arteta decide to go in for him this summer.
All in all, the Gunners would be wise to step up their efforts to land the Dutch talent as he could help them compete for some major honours over the next few years.
