Arsenal: Thomas Partey, Dani Ceballos, or both?

Arsenal are linked to some exciting midfielders, but in a world of limited finances, do we go after Thomas Partey, Dani Ceballos… or both?

Arsenal‘s midfield looks to be in a spot of contention, with links persisting for the likes of Thomas Partey. These are old links that have been around for quite some time, but they’re picking up now, with a rumored price tag of £45m for the 26-year-old bruiser.

That’s a lot of money when paired with a potential £36m buyout for Dani Ceballos, which has recently been revealed as the price that Real Madrid were aiming for last summer.

For those not good at math, that’s a whole £81m we’d have to spend to get the midfield where Mikel Arteta apparently wants it to be. But when you look at what that midfield could be, with Ceballos, Partey and Granit Xhaka, it’s hard to argue that it wouldn’t be worth the investment.

That said, compared to what else we need to spend money on? It’s a hard sell. Sure, we’re getting William Saliba too, and that helps the defense, but fans are also pushing for the addition of someone like Dayot Upamecano, who would fetch another £50m-ish.

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Suddenly our transfer bill is getting up over where we would normally spend, especially without Champions League football.

Contrarily, the attack is in a good place. And if it does need help, selling Pierre-Emerick Aubameyag should fund it.

So back to the midfield. With Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi still here, should we be prepared to make a choice between Partey and Ceballos, and if so, who do you choose?

That’s the hard part because both represent something we don’t currently have. I think Matteo Guendouzi was supposed to grow into what Ceballos is doing, but he hasn’t yet. So maybe he can be the at-large, rotational option that fills in as needed.

Thomas Partey would be closest to Torreira, who I’m still not sure is even staying. If he were to be sold, that could largely fund the move for Partey and allow for the ultimate solution—getting both Ceballos and Partey on a permanent deal.

Obviously the perfect outcome is getting them both. That would make this midfield truly delectable and with the right, smart sales, it can be arranged. But if we had to choose between one or the other, I would err on the side of the defense and prioritize Thomas Partey. As much as I love Dani Ceballos.