Arsenal are reportedly eyeing a former starlet to slot into the centre of the park this winter and could make their move imminently.
What’s the word?
Ismael Bennacer has risen to prominence in Italy, currently plying his trade for AC Milan and starring, playing 31 times in the league last year as the club won the league title in a resounding fashion.
And now after such composed and assured performances, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is set on bringing the player back to the Emirates Stadium to play a role in the Gunners’ own bid for domestic glory.
TuttoMercatoWeb reported at the weekend that Arsenal are indeed among the interested parties, perhaps even the frontrunners, and that the player himself would be open to a move back to the Premier League, with a club he knows well from his development days.
A return home
Having been on the books at Arsenal for two years, the club confirmed that the midfielder, then 19-years-old, would complete a permanent move to Italian outfit Empoli in 2017, being sold by a certain Arsene Wenger for just £850,000.
Since signing for AC Milan, Bennacer has seen his stock rise like a hot air balloon, worth an estimated £37m at present, and he has now attracted the Gunners’ interest once more, who view him as a sterling opportunity to bolster the thriving midfield.
Once described as “simply amazing” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, he has made 21 appearances for Milan this term, scoring one goal and registering one assist. Bennacer has been in fine fettle, with Sofascore recording his average rating at a commendable 7.29, with his 89% pass accuracy complemented by 2.0 key passes and 2.3 tackles per outing.
And as per FBref, the Algerian dynamo ranks within the top 5% of midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues this year for shot-creating actions, while also within the top 11% for dribbles completed and 15% for progressive passes.
It is the rounded nature of this skill set that will have caught Arteta’s eye; Arsenal will already be aware of such talents, but the way that he has grasped them and moulded them into the making of a towering midfield presence on the continental stage will bode very well indeed with the hierarchy as they plot and plan for the future.
The 40-cap Bennacer could also come as an alternative for Youri Tielemans, who the Gunners are reported to hold heated interest in, with a view to a deal emerging this winter or upon the expiry of his contract next summer.
With other potential suitors likely to circle like sharks for the Belgium technician, Bennacer could be a shrewd alternative, with suggestions that Arsenal allegedly begrudge the decision to depart with the ace five years ago.