Arsenal Chasing Barcelona Midfield Sensation

Arsenal are keen to bring in Riqui Puig from Barcelona this January.

In the search for midfield energy and creativity, the Arsenal net is being cast far and wide hoping to snag a player or two who could make the move to north London and complement the very scare creative resources Mikel Arteta possesses.

A window that has primarily been centred around departures with a view to making room in the squad and lessening the wage bill, three names have made way – two temporarily – with more expected to occur before the window slams shut.

Once key players can be moved on, including Mesut Ozil who is joining Fenerbahce, Arsenal can then start making inroads in the transfer market, setting the tone for another inevitable late frenzy.

The likes of Emi Buendia and Julian Brandt have been heavily mentioned as potential incomings, although in the case of both all talk has died down and January looks like coming too soon to secure either of the pair.

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Short-term options such as Isco have also gone cold, but there is one La Liga player whose name has emerged once more in the form of Barcelona’s Riqui Puig. Listed in Pain in the Arsenal’s ‘3 Creative Alternatives‘ back in December, the situation surrounding the Spaniard is as it was back then.

Puig is understandably desperate to succeed at his boyhood club, that road taking longer than he anticipated with Ronald Koeman unwilling to grant him more than 124 minutes of football so far this season. As per Spanish outlet Fichajes, Arteta is the manager most interested in his services, having asked Arsenal to make a move.

Koeman said back in September he would allow Puig to leave on loan to earn regular minutes, a stance he’s since eased up. While the outlet suggest any deal would be complicated to pull off, with still no sniff of first team football, he becomes an increasingly viable option.

Would it work for Arsenal?