Arsenal: 4 positives & negatives of Arthur loan signing

This is a deal that has progressed rapidly over the past 24 hours, which just so happens to be rather important with Arsenal only having two senior midfielders to choose from in January.

Allowing Ainsley Maitland-Niles to join Roma on loan for the remainder of the season has left Mikel Arteta with only Albert Sambi Lokonga and Granit Xhaka to select from while Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey are away at AFCON, a decision that comes at a pivotal point in the season.

Preparing for the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final with Liverpool on Thursday, Arsenal know they are 180 minutes from another Wembley showpiece. Sandwiching those matches is the small matter of a North London Derby.

These are three huge games.

Arsenal: 4 positives & negatives of Arthur loan signing as Mikel Arteta eyes Juventus midfielder on deal until the end of the season

Confirming that he is actively seeking solutions to the current dilemma, Arteta and co have started making progress on a deal to sign Arthur Melo on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

Out of favour under Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus, Arthur is available for transfer this month and negotiations are underway to bring him to north London on a simple loan.

Various reports state that it Arsenal would cover his weekly wages – thought to be between £100k and £125k – and that I Bianconeri are happy to let him go as soon as they source a replacement. As per Goal, they shouldn’t have any issue doing so.

It’s a deal that is moving fast, and given Arsenal’s urgency it’s understandable, although at this stage nothing is signed, sealed or delivered.

Arthur hasn’t light Turin up since his move there from Barcelona. There are definite reservations about this deal. However, how about looking at how this can work as well as why it might not the best of ideas moving forward? Let’s discuss both sides of the coin, starting with the negatives.

1. Arthur Doesn’t Have the Best Reputation

We’re not talking multiple bookings for dissent, sadly. That would be favourable. Instead, Arthur is known for being…well, a bit of an idiot off the pitch.

In in 2019 he was out partying with former Barca star Neymar, just 48 hours before a Copa del Rey match against Real Madrid, sparking some fury within Blaugrana quarters.

Then in August of 2020 he was charged with drink driving as he neared his impending move to Juventus from Barcelona, crashing his Ferrari into a streetlight after mounting the footpath at 4AM.

Last April, Paulo Dybala, Arthur and Weston McKennie were fined for breaking Covid restrictions when a they attended a party at McKennie’s house, and the tag of being a bit of an idiot off the pitch has stuck with him. He crashed his car again back in September.

Can people change? Will new scenery be exactly what he needs to refocus and put his full attention into playing football? Maybe. Ray Parlour used to go out on the lash the night before matches, he just didn’t get caught.

But these are different times under a different manager. Arteta never drifts from his non-negotiables and you can be absolutely certain that any similar behaviour would have serious implications.

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2. Arthur’s Form in Europe Has Been Sub-Par

Flash back to Gremio’s Copa Libertadores title triumph in 2017 and half of the world wanted to sign Arthur. Operating as one of a double pivot, his technical quality shone in a division where the individual qualities of players can truly shine.

His move to Barcelona made him one of the most expensive Brazilian exports of all time.

Struggling to adapt to a new league, it took time before Arthur was able to provide more than ball carrying, progressive distribution and moving the ball closer to the box. As he adjusted he also gradually moved closer to the opposition goal, building up his influence on matches with higher levels of duels won, and adding both goals and assists to his game.

Still not quite hitting the heights on a regular basis, his move to Juventus has seen his performances worsen, primarily as he was moved further away from goal. Boasting fine deep-lying traits and capabilities, creatively there has been little on show with him operating too deep in Juve’s system to make a meaningful impact on matches.

Used more like a holding midfielder, that has accentuated his weaker qualities while diminishing his better traits. Defensively he’s seriously lacking, averaging just 3.10 tackles and interceptions p/90.

Can this be changed?

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3. Arthur Has Been Misused – Arteta Can Unlock His Potential

As might have been noticeable from the above, Arthur’s time at Juventus has been hampered by the way he’s been used. Under both Andrea Pirlo and now Massimiliano Allegri, the Italian managers’ desire to field him in a withdrawn role has not suited his skillset.

When a player’s weakest traits are his defensive output, handing him more control over that area seems like a peculiar choice.

There is a player in there. There really is.

Pirlo certainly tried to play a more modern game, but injuries hampered Arthur’s progress. And now with Allegri, who favours defensive minded midfielders and an exceedingly unappealing brand of football, limitations have been put on the Brazilian in terms of what he can offer. Arteta is in every which way a modern coach with modern principles who can unlock Arthur’s ability on the ball.

Everything comes with the asterisk of his antics off the pitch and the concerns over how he can replicate his finer traits in the more intense Premier League, but he’s been held back by being asking to perform most of his actions in deeper roles where the emphasis isn’t on playing as much in the opponent’s half.

This is not to say that Arteta is a superior manager, just that stylistic fits are so crucial for players. There are no bad players, only bad fits.

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4. Arthur’s Profile Suits Arsenal’s Style

There are always reservations about how easily a player can just slide into a new team, in a new league and with a new language in the middle of the season. It always takes time.

Purely from a tactical fit and ignoring how long it might take (this is the positive section, after all) Arthur can suit the way Arsenal play. And in turn, Arsenal can suit the way he plays.

With two possession hogging central defenders in Benjamin White and Gabriel, Arsenal have players who like to dominate the spaces in front. Controlling the ball by always keeping it moving side to side with line breaking passes and short zips either side, this automatically gets the midfield closer to the opposition goal where they can control the play centrally.

Arthur’s talents are limited in defensive positions, even if he is excellent at breaking the first line of press with his small centre of gravity used cleverly in these areas. He needs a side that will keep the ball on the ground and rack up high volume passing sequences where his own superb distribution and accuracy can be put to finer use.

In terms of his preferred partner, if it’s a double pivot then one of Sambi or Thomas Partey may suit more due to them usually occupying the slightly deeper role on the angle, whereas Xhaka has been used in the left half-space more often. However, so long as he’s higher, closer spacing between players will allow Arthur to distribute into more dangerous areas. It’s these zones where he played his best football in Europe in during his later spell at Barcelona.

All sounds plausible, right?

From a theoretical sense, it does. Arteta’s brand of positional football with players moving into spaces fluidly can tend to Arthur’s skillset far more than it is now at Juventus. But to expect as much so quickly after arriving (if indeed he does) is a big ask, especially if the Xhaka and Partey combination is unlikely to stop being the preferred duo when both are available.

With all this talk, the deal better come through now. Hadn’t it?