Why Arsenal do NOT need to sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer

Arsenal being linked with a highly-regarded Serie A star? We’ve seen this tale before, folks, and the ending is never pretty.

Manuel Locatelli and Dusan Vlahovic are just two of the contemporary names to snub a move to north London in favour of Piedmont, and while Juventus aren’t currently in the race to sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic despite their previous interest, us Gooners must be wary regarding the club’s reported pursuit of the Serb.

But is Milinkovic-Savic a player Arsenal really need right now? Sure, the Lazio midfielder is an excellent footballer whose domination of Serie A perpetuated and reached its apex last season, but the Gunners’ priorities in the transfer market lie elsewhere.

Arsenal do NOT need to sign Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer

The Gunners are said to have had an opening bid in the region of €50m swiflty rejected by Lazio for Milinkovic-Savic, but they could return with an improved offer for the towering midfielder.

The Biancocolesti, however, regard the Serbian international as their most prized asset and it’ll take a mammoth offer to convince the Romans to sell.

Lazio’s hefty valuation should deter the Gunners, but he’s a player the club shouldn’t be targeting to bolster their midfield anyway. Mikel Arteta needs a secondary controller in the middle of the park to complement Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard; Milinkovic-Savic isn’t quite that – although he did pop up in deeper zones of the pitch under Maurizio Sarri last season and see more of the ball as a result.

In short, the Serb is a freak. He’s utterly unique. His compilation videos will astound you. How a player of his size can do what he does with the ball at his feet is beyond me. It’s beyond science. Milinkovic-Savic combines his dazzling feet and immense physical presence to create a borderline unstoppable midfielder. He’s deadly when he enters the opposition’s box because of his imposing frame and aerial ability.

Thus, it’s understandable why Lazio value the 27-year-old so highly. He contributed to 22 Serie A goals last season and ranked in the 97th percentile of all midfielders from Europe’s top five leagues for combined non-penalty expected goals and expected assists per 90 minutes (0.4).

His output is ridiculous, and Arsenal could do with a few more goals from midfield. However, a player of Milinkovic-Savic’s profile shouldn’t be the club’s transfer market priority. Considering the fee and the necessity to sign a midfielder who’ll essentially serve as a more dynamic iteration of Granit Xhaka (Milinkovic-Savic isn’t prominent in Lazio’s build-up), Milinkovic-Savic is a player the Gunners should stay away from for the time being.

For me, Youri Tielemans – taking into account his profile and Premier League experience – is a much safer investment, as good as the Serbian international is.