Arsenal: How Manuel Locatelli & Thomas Partey would work in midfield

How Thomas Partey & Manuel Locatelli Would Work for Arsenal in a 4-2-3-1

It’s an interesting conundrum, if you like, to look at.

Xhaka leaving opens up new opportunities for the midfield, and for Partey. Arsenal can go down the destroyer route with an Yves Bissouma, who can help unlock the Ghanaian in a different manner, with much of the ball-winning and intercepting duties falling to the Brighton man.

While it’s a system that has real potential to unleash Partey more advanced, it bestows a large creative burden on him to be the sole contributor of the pair in the final third.

If the idea was to head down the Premier League experienced route then names like Ruben Neves make sense, albeit not especially glamorous, while Kalvin Phillips, also not ‘glamorous’, brings a wealth of endearing qualities, energy and distribution to the table.

But from all those in Europe to ponder over, few would complement Partey better than Locatelli.

A deal that is still mostly resting on hope at this stage, were the Italian to arrive then supporters would be treated to a balancing act that once perfected could anchor Arsenal for years. It has all the tools to flourish.

From those who’ve tuned in to Sassuolo’s games last season, watched him school a Xhaka midfield at the European Championships, poured over hours of footage of him on YouTube or even a mixture of all three, Locatelli’s distribution stands out among all his qualities. His addition screams ‘possession-based’ football and strongly suggests Arteta’s vision for the side.

First concerns will be that Locatelli is obviously not as mobile as Bissouma. Arsenal need energy in the centre of the park but that can be negated by tempo of thought. Locatelli is always looking to get on the ball, spray passes and move his side up the pitch like Xhaka, but with the additional physical and technical versatility.

While the limitations that held Xhaka back – lack of athleticism and defensive weakness on transition are not quite as prevalent with Locatelli but still not a significant upgrade – the addition of backline pace with Ben White to play alongside Gabriel provides greater insurance on high turnovers and will limit the danger caused. The Italian can still evade a challenge if he needs to or track back to regain the ball, which brings Partey into the fold.

Partey arrived at Arsenal with the scope to play more expansively than he had done at Atletico previously. As a proactive holding midfielder, evading the press and carrying Arsenal into the second phase is where his natural game can come to life.

Like with Xhaka, the pair can play on the angle and allow Partey to retrieve on the half-turn and either release or rampage.

This pipe-dream pair wouldn’t just hand over the defensive and attacking keys to one another. Both can contribute in all three thirds, both can thread a pass into the forward players through the eye of the needle and both can break lines in their own ways. They would complement each other: one to pick out one of his delectable switches and the other to gallop beyond a couple or challenges or make a deep run.

There is flexibility and versatility there to suit. It’d be a great match.

Is there any chance it coming to fruition?