Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta ‘Big Fan’ of Yves Bissouma

Arsenal are in need of reinforcements in January, with a host of names being linked.

The time of the year where the endless rumours cause either groaning or giddiness, the one thing Arsenal can be sure of between now and the winter window closing is being linked to every man and his dog.

It’s been mentioned that a creative midfielder and a central defender are the main targets for January, one to aid to the Gunners’ dreadful form in front of goal and the other in preparation for a considerable exodus come next summer.

Other areas need tending to in the coming windows – one window isn’t close to feasible – but that hasn’t stopped players of another ilk catching Mikel Arteta‘s side.

As per Alex Crook of talkSPORT, Brighton enforcer Yves Bissouma is one such individual.

"“Bissouma is a player Arteta is a big fan of. I know Arsenal are by no means the only big six club keeping tabs on him. “Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is also monitoring his situation as he looks for a replacement for the out of contract Gini Wijnaldum. “Bissouma himself is contracted until 2023 so next summer would usually be the time when they would start negotiating a potential new deal.”"

Yves Bissouma’s Track Record

Arsenal fans will be all too familiar with Bissouma, as it was him caught laughing at the Emirates Stadium when Arsenal bottled a top four place in a 1-1 draw with the Seagulls back in May last year.

He moved to Brighton in the summer of 2018 from a side Arsenal know very well, Lille. Never a regular on the south coast, he featured heavily in his debut season but less so the following term, making just 22 Premier League outings. However, the majority of those came in the latter end of the season where he began finding form, as well as admirers.

Forming part of a four man midfield alongside Ben White, Bissouma has now established himself as a key member of Graham Potter’s side. This, again, is something Arsenal are sadly aware of as the four meetings between the two clubs since Bissouma joined read two wins, two draws for the  midfielder.

In each of them, he’s bossed the centre of the park. Matteo Guendouzi didn’t know what hit him.

Nominated for November’s Premier League Player of the Month with a quite stupendous volley against Everton, the more he plays, the better he gets.

Would Yves Bissouma Suit Arsenal?

Yes, he would.

Our laborious, slow midfield lacks athleticism without Thomas Partey, and while Bissouma is not as fine-tuned as the Ghanaian, he’s nevertheless hugely combative, relentless and solid across all facets.

A battling presence in the heart of midfield, he’s also an underrated at ball progression, albeit not his best trait. It’s his fierce nature on the pitch and ability to cover every blade of grass that are the most impressive.

Good tackling qualities, either from standing or on the ground, when losing possession he’s quick to recover it.

That can be said regarding a number of midfielders in the Premier League, yet it’s the pace and mobility that Bissouma possesses which stand him out from, for example, the current Arsenal crop. Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka can’t run. They just can’t.

It’s noticeable when Partey plays that his midfield partner looks immediately more solid. With Mohamed Elneny, the Egyptian is better covered by his partner which allows him to be more daring on the ball and less heavily closed down. Bissouma could add similar dependency.

Should Arsenal Move Now?

Ahead of what looks set to be a major squad overhaul in the coming windows, someone of the Malian’s ilk benefits most squads in the country. However, he’s not who Arsenal should be focussing their attention on at this minute.

Other areas of the squad sit atop the wishlist, the like of which can’t be ignored regardless of who may be worthy of attention. Someone of the creative mould need prioritising as does the right side of central defence ahead of upcoming departures.

At only 24 years old, there is greater scope for improvement in Bissouma as he continues to play weekly in the Premier League, so unless other clubs make their move, Arsenal shouldn’t feel rushed to pounce.

One potentially large sticking point is that while the Seagulls’ valuation isn’t known, considering they refused to sell White to Leeds for any less than £45m, we can expect similar hard bargaining from Potter’s side.

That said, if almost all of the midfield is bid farewell to in the summer, then Bissouma’s name is an enticing one as part of a larger scale rebuild. One to look out for.