Arsenal: 5 pros and cons of James Maddison £60m transfer

Arsenal and their hunt for a playmaker this season has seen them linked with a plethora of attacking options and the latest name to emerge, and now sit atop Mikel Arteta’s wishlist, is James Maddison. He won’t come cheap.

Who saw this coming? After a slow start to the window from Arsenal with little other than murmurs and talks over potential sales, the club have burst into life in the transfer market with bids flying in and intentions made clear.

Set to ‘ruthlessly’ overhaul the squad, the sheer volume of departures and possible arrivals is starting to sink in. It’s all well and good reading a few names and envisaging the rebuild, but once the plan kicks into gear the scale of the operation becomes crystal clear.

It’s important to temper expectations at this point, even if some of the figures being flung about are dizzying. With goalkeeper(s), left-back, right-back, centre-back, midfielder(s) and playmaker all on the ever-expanding shopping list, coupled with an absurd amount of conversations to be held other clubs about sales, not all will be accomplished this summer.

Arsenal: 5 positives and negatives of James Maddison joining in the summer transfer window from Leicester for £60m

Calculated decisions will need to be made in some areas, with Arteta sitting down to evaluate which of those departments is the strongest and can be left untouched should time and money not be on his side.

Securing a No. 10, however, is high priority.

All the links mentioned thus far, regardless of whether believable or not, have almost entirely been based around the spine of the team, showing the importance of securing a creative midfielder. As it stands, Martin Odegaard won’t be arriving this summer, leaving James Maddison to become target #1 for that department.

Across Europe it is his name that has emerged as the frontrunner, despite his signature undoubtedly being one of the toughest to secure of the lot.

Is the thought of Maddison joining Arsenal exciting or concerning, given the fees in question? Let’s take a look at what positive and negative aspects could arise from his potential transfer, starting with the beneficial elements.

1. James Maddison is a Huge Talent Who Would Improve Arsenal

Arsenal would be a better side with Maddison as a member of the squad. Boasting a grand total of one No. 10 in the ranks in 20-year-old Emile Smith Rowe, the options in that department are bare. Strong, but bare.

Whoever comes in to that role has to lift the creative ceiling. They need experience and determination in equal measures. Throw in excellent quality and you’ve hit the nail on the head. Maddison isn’t too far off that.

Is he perfect? No. There was a drop off from 2019/20 into last season for carries and possession-based metrics, which is slightly troubling, but Leicester started finding other players to fulfill those roles.

What he would bring coming in to this side is inventiveness between the lines; supporting runs, connectivity in build-up and transition; advanced vision and goals. Someone who is lethal from range, be it with a dead ball or otherwise, that goal threat is something the Gunners have lacked.

Since making his Premier League debut in the 2018/19 campaign, the 24-year-old has created 230 chances, a figure bettered by only Kevin De Bruyne’s 252. During that period, Mesut Ozil has created the most for Arsenal with 82. Additionally, his 11 goals from outside the box is bettered by no one, while his five direct free-kicks are only surpassed by one of the world’s best at them, James Ward-Prowse. That’s all delightfully pleasing.

Scoring in the top 5% for through balls, passes into the final third and key passes for playmakers across Europe, his strengths are clear. This is a prolific chance creator wanted by a club that just finished eighth with the fewest number of top-flight goals scored since 1996. It’s an undoubted injection of quality.