With the announcement of Kai Havertz as the first of what is sure to be many new additions, Arsenal has had a successful start to their summer transfer window.
Mikel Arteta is moving quickly to finalise his new-look squad for the upcoming season in an effort to complete all of his business as soon as possible.
One deal, though, has dragged on for a lot longer than he would have liked due to their pursuit of Declan Rice.
Negotiating such a lucrative switch was always going to be challenging, and when Manchester City briefly joined the race, the pressure increased significantly. However, with a £105 million deal struck with West Ham United, it now appears that they will succeed in acquiring their target.
It appears they are still interested in Romeo Lavia of Southampton as a great option for £50m in an effort to give him the ideal partner and have him emulate one of their legendary past captains.
Was Romeo Lavia able to imitate Patrick Vieira?
Even though he was only 19 years old, his maturity in the engine room during his first season of senior football, which earned him the moniker “special player” from journalist Dan George, surprised many.
For the relegated Saints, he was a combative yet refined presence who competed for every ball while also possessing the technical skills to advance the game.
His 68% dribble success rate, 86% pass accuracy, 2.1 tackles, and 1.1 interceptions per game all contributed to his 6.80 average rating in the Premier League, according to Sofascore. Only Thomas Partey of the Gunners could match his total number of tackles from that season.
He was still able to compete with the best despite his lack of experience, and with time he will undoubtedly only get better. especially if Arteta, who is in charge at the Emirates, is in charge of that future.
Vieira played 401 games for the club and collected many awards over the course of his illustrious career, making him a true Arsenal legend. He played a key role in helping Arsene Wenger’s team in 2003–04 go undefeated in the league, a feat that hasn’t been matched since.
Although they were very helpful, his enormous stature and relentless work rate were not the only reasons for his longevity; he also used his sense of class to control the play. According to Lavia’s aforementioned statistics, Rice and the Belgian international have a good chance of developing into players of a similar calibre and playing together for the foreseeable future.
The England international’s already well-rounded game has, after all, gained important offensive stats, making him an ideal choice for highlighting this summer revolution.
According to Sofascore, his six goal contributions were helped by one crucial pass and 2.1 tackles per game last season, which would have made him the third-best player for the Gunners as they competed for the title.
Combining these two physical assets, who both possess the necessary aptitude to prosper in the contemporary world, could serve as the impetus for making the north London team a real threat to Manchester City.
