In a recent report, Football London claimed that Arsenal have cooled their interest in Leicester City ace Youri Tielemans. It has been revealed that the Gunners have opted not to make a move to land the Belgian international this month despite the player having just six months remaining in his contract.
Tielemans’ Campaign Of Mixed Emotions In English Football
Tielemans is having a tough campaign at the King Power Stadium as he has struggled to help Leicester find consistency in terms of picking up wins in the Premier League. The Belgium international has registered four goals and one assist in 21 matches for the Foxes this season on all fronts.
The 25-year-old deserves some credit for averaging 2.2 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, 0.6 clearances, 1.2 shots, 1.1 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per 90 minutes in Premier League football. He has even been excellent when distributing possession from midfield after completing 84.7% of his attempted passes in league football (stats via whoscored).
His current contract with the Foxes is set to run out at the end of this campaign. Hence, he would have been a good option for Arsenal to land on a cut-price fee this January.
Arsenal Have Cooled Their Interest In Tielemans: Good Decision By Mikel Arteta?
Tielemans is a hard-working central midfielder who can be a positive influence at both ends of the field. He loves a tackle and can sense the danger well to secure the ball back for his team. The Belgian sensation doesn’t mind clearing his lines when needed and is a decent playmaker as well in the final third. He can also strike the ball with power and accuracy from long range and is quite clever with his movements in and around the opponent’s penalty box.
Tielemans has won the FA Cup with Leicester before and could have played a key role in Mikel Arteta‘s squad if Arsenal decided to move in for him this month.
Someone of Tielemans’ skillset would have also helped the Gunners stay ahead in the Premier League title this season. Thus, it feels like the North London club have not made a good decision by opting against signing the Belgian talent during this winter transfer window.
At 25, Tielemans’ best years are ahead of him which makes him a great choice for Arteta to pursue this month. Maybe the best move for the Gunners would be to change their stance on recruiting the Leicester star before the transfer window slams shut in a few weeks.
