Arsenal in advanced talks for Arthur Melo loan transfer

Arsenal are said to be closing in on a vital midfield addition this window having allowed Ainsley Maitland-Niles to leave the club on loan without a replacement already secured.

Losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest hammered home the severity of the situation, with Albert Sambi Lokonga the only senior option to select from as he partnered Charlie Patino in the centre of the park.

Granit Xhaka was out of Covid and is touch and go to face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Thursday, the first game of a pivotal week in the season where a North London Derby at Tottenham sandwiches both legs of the semi-final with the Reds.

Mikel Arteta has sought to act quickly in the window to solve the obvious gaps in his squad, and one name that has cropped up recently is that of Arthur Melo.

Arsenal in advanced talks for Arthur Melo loan transfer with Juventus as Mikel Arteta eyes vital midfield reinforcements in January window

The Brazilian is out of favour under Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus, making only 14 Serie A outings with just four of those coming from the start. He only returned to action from having surgery on matchday eight of the campaign.

A loan move had been discussed in and around London Colney, although the latest from RMC Sport claims that the Gunners have acted upon those ideas and are now in an advanced stage of negotiations to sign the Brazilian on loan.

Bruno Guimaraes has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal but his huge asking price and Lyon’s unwillingness to sell mid-season has seen that deal shelved, with Arthur now classed as the ‘priority’. A loan deal would certainly be cheaper and therefore save room in the kitty for a striker.

The 25-year-old is being misused as the deepest midfielder, where his ability on the ball is suited but is limited in an attacking sense. Someone who loves getting on the ball and progressing the play, he’s always heavily involved in build-up from where he can dictate the flow of matches, or carry into the second phase and bypass the first line of press.

Concerning injury records and a tendency to be too slow on and off the ball, it remains to be see how he would adapt to the Premier League in a short space of time in mid-winter.

The source of this news is generally quite reliable – it’s since been picked up in Italy – and the idea of bringing Arthur on loan has been floated about so it’s not entirely out of the blue. The news has since been picked up at Goal and elsewhere in Italy, with details laid out as a simple loan with Arsenal covering his salary.

Whether he’s the exact right fit or not, the truth is Arsenal don’t really have time to be sitting on their hands over this. They really need midfield additions, and it’s not like Arthur is a dreadful player, it is just a lot to ask of him coming into the current situation when – it at least looks like – he is no more than a stop-gap addition.

Do they have much choice? It will be interesting to watch this one develop.