Arsenal: 4 Barcelona players to target amid financial mess

3. Riqui Puig – Central Midfielder

It should be crime in Spanish law to hand someone of Riqui Puig’s talent a measly 292 minutes of La Liga football in a single season. But here we are.

If Arteta wanted to make the switch to a 4-3-3 then Puig, like the guy before him in this list and the guy to come, could help facilitate that move.

Normally at this point we’d dish out a few of his admirable numbers to provide an indication of where his strengths lie. While that was done with Moriba, the 21-year-old has played even fewer minutes than that so there is little reason in doing so. However, if one has an adoration for the colour green then go check them out. He’s 98+ in practically everything.

While the absolute value of his statistics are misleading they do offer an indication of his intentions. Always positive on the ball and never with an eye on making any movement negatively, his dexterity sees him glide beyond opponents in possession. Technically outstanding, his dribbling is eye-catching.

Not able to get a game in a midfield that features Frenkie de Jong, how there isn’t room for him anywhere is still a mystery. Everyone in Europe recognises Puig’s talent, except for Koeman.

He has two years left on his deal and isn’t a high earner, but purely down to being unfavoured and at a stage where Barcelona just want to offload, he is someone to inquire about. Would bring a Renato Sanches-esque element alongside Thomas Partey.