Arsenal: 15 major transfer rumors rated by plausibility and need

9. Thomas Partey—Plausibility 9/10, Need 10/10

Call it audacious if you want, but my belief is that the Thomas Partey rumors have died down because it’s already a done deal. Probably crazy, I know. They’ve actually died down because nothing is happening. But that said, when things do kick up again, Partey’s price tag will still be set at £45m and he will still be looking for his next destination after turning away Atletico Madrid’s attempts to secure him for longer.

Thomas Partey fits into this midfield better than anybody else we may have hopes to sign. I don’t think he completely fixes all of our midfield problems, but he fixes a massive one. And if we do part ways with Lucas Torreira, which we really should, then that return could cover at least half of what we would be spending on Partey.

As I’ve mentioned countless times, nothing is of higher priority than fixing our midfield. We need more of a reliable presence alongside Granit Xhaka and until Matteo Guendouzi grows into a more pronounced role, that could mean signing two midfielders. We should be starting with Partey though. He’s the defensive help we really need. More than a centerback.