In a recent segment on Youtube, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that Arsenal have identified Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia as a target. It is understood that the Gunners are eyeing a move to land the Belgian midfield ace during the summer transfer period.
Lavia’s Impressive Rise In English Football
Lavia is having a solid campaign at the St. Mary’s Stadium as he has produced a run of consistent displays for the Saints at the centre of the park. The 19-year-old has registered one goal and one assist in 25 appearances for Southampton this season on all fronts.
The talented teenager has caught the eye at times by averaging 1.9 tackles, 1.0 interceptions, 0.6 clearances and 0.7 dribbles per game in the Premier League. He has even been tidy with his ball distribution after making 86.7% of his attempted passes in league football (stats via whoscored).
Lavia is under contract at Southampton until the summer of 2027. Thus, Arsenal will have to pay a big fee if they want to recruit the Belgian youngster at the end of this season.
Should Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Get Lavia On Board?
Lavia can get stuck in with a few solid tackles to make life difficult for the opposition at the centre of the park. He can read the danger well to earn the ball back for his team and doesn’t hesitate to clear his lines when the opposition are on the front foot.
The Belgian whizkid can also make a few driving runs with the ball from midfield. Lavia is an accurate passer of the ball as well but needs to add more goals and assists to his game if he wants to taste success at the highest level. He is primarily a defensive midfielder but can also fill in as a centre-back if needed.
We can expect Lavia to add more bite and steel to Mikel Arteta‘s midfield at Arsenal. He would be an ideal understudy to Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka at the North London club in the coming seasons.
The Southampton starlet already knows the Premier League well by now and won’t take much time to settle into life at the Emirates Stadium. Therefore, the Gunners would be wise to try everything they can to get Lavia on board when the transfer window commences later this year.
