Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal: 4 former players Gunners should re-sign

By Andrew Dowdeswell

Arsenal's Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla gestures during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Southampton at the Emirates Stadium in London on September 10, 2016.Arsenal won the game 2-1. / AFP / Adrian DENNIS / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal's Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla gestures during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Southampton at the Emirates Stadium in London on September 10, 2016.Arsenal won the game 2-1. / AFP / Adrian DENNIS / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Jeff Reine-Adelaide
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 28: Jeff Reine-Adelaide of Arsenal is tackled by Jack Stephens of Southampton during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Southampton and Arsenal at St Mary’s Stadium on January 28, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

3. Jeff Reine-Adelaide

As has been highlighted in various reports this season, Arsenal’s need for a game-controlling central midfielder who is a capable ball carrier, passer and constructive defensively is great. They have no one who can impact the game in so many different ways.

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In Jeff Reine-Adelaide, however, they let such a player walk out the door. Reine-Adelaide left Arsenal in 2018 after spending the previous year on loan at Angers. He was superb in his first permanent season at the French club, moving from a wide position into a central role. His control and dribbling qualities that were developed as a winger became crucial in this new position.

The now 22-year-old earned a move to Lyon in the summer. He cost north of £20 million and started 11 of the first 17 league matches as well as playing the full 90 minutes in the season-opener for Angers. Overall, he notched three goals and four assists from central midfield, which is an impressive tally, while also completing 87.3% of his passes and four dribbles per 90 minutes, which ranks fourth in Ligue 1 of players that played more than 750 minutes.

Reine-Adelaide would no longer come cheap and he is currently dealing with a ruptured cruciate ligament, an injury that is not easy to come back from. Nevertheless, he is the ideal midfielder that Arsenal are looking for and might be worth the investment.

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