Arsenal: Yacine Adli own entity; no effect on current members

Arsenal are nearing the signing of young Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Yacine Adli. His acquisition, though, is of its own entity; it has no effect on present members of the squad.

Arsenal are nearing their second signing of the post-Arsene-Wenger era. And, funnily enough, it is a very Arsene Wenger signing. Per fairly conclusive reports in the media on Wednesday afternoon, the Gunners are nearing the completion of signing Yacine Adli to a three-year deal with the possibility of an extension depending on certain clauses.

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The young Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has been the subject of interest from across Europe. Named as PSG’s Young Prospect of the Year, Unai Emery is seemingly keen to bring the 17-year-old attacking midfielder to be a part of his project in north London.

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Perhaps the most encouraging thing is that there are a reported number of clubs said to be interested in Adli’s signature, including PSG who did make an offer to him to keep in the French capital. Arsenal were not alone in their admiration of the player, making their evaluation of his clearly investable qualities all the more reliable and potentially accurate. But that does not mean that Adli is suddenly expected to fight for a first-team role.

Yes, he is an extremely gifted individual who Emery, and Sven Mislintat, for that matter, is an admirer of. But it would be a little foolish to suggest that this signing solves the midfield problems of the team. He is a 17-year-old kid who is simply a roll of the dice, another handful of mud to throw at the wall in the hope that it sticks. It is just about playing the probability game.

Consequently, the impending addition of Adli will have little to no bearing on the futures of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, for instance. Arsenal will not be more willing to let either leave because they now have Adli as a successor. He may yet develop into being that successor, but that does not mean that the club is going to thrust him into such a position of authority this early on.

And nor should they. We have seen this type of transfer time and time again: Acquire a talented young player for cheap, develop them in-house, send them out on a couple of loan deals, invest next to nothing in terms of transfer fee and wages, and see if they can deliver on their potential. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t.

That is all that Adli is. Another shot in the dark. In that sense, he is an entity of his own. His signing is not connected to other deals, his cost has a negligible impact on the budget, and it’s not as if Mislintat and co. will not be looking to further bolster the midfield now that they have Adli.

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Adli’s signing has no effect on the current members of the squad, or the current targets of the club, for that matter. He is simply another hopeful body to add to the ship, another dart to throw at the board, and there is absolutely nothing wrong that whatsoever.