What qualities would Arthur Melo bring to Arsenal?
There is excitement among Arsenal supporters at the prospect of signing Arthur on loan from Juventus this winter. According to Fabrizio Romano, talks have been held about the possibility of bringing the 25-year-old midfielder to the Emirates.
Arthur was one of the highest rated Brazilian prospects of recent times when he emerged at Grêmio, where he won the 2017 Copa Libertadores and was even named man of the match in the second leg of the final. But, after signing with Barcelona in 2018 and then Juventus in 2020, it hasn’t yet worked out for Arthur in Europe.
Why has he struggled in Catalonia and Turin? And, can Arthur still make it at the top level? Here, we take a look.
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Arthur’s biggest strength
As he came through at Grêmio, Arthur’s biggest strength was his ability to keep possession, both through accurate passing and his ability to shrug off opposition defenders. When arriving at the Camp Nou, the right-footed midfielder’s playing style drew comparisons to Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. “Being compared with Xavi and Iniesta is fantastic and I’m happy that people say I have Barça DNA,” the Brazilian said at the time.
At Barcelona, Arthur did indeed help the side keep possession as he played in the left midfield role of a 4-3-3, completing 94% of his passes in his first season of 2018/19 and 92% in 2019/20. Those numbers were the best of all Barça midfielders.
The problem with Arthur
Arthur’s high pass completion numbers, though, were in large part because of the types of passes he was playing. Too often he played the ball sideways or backwards. He kept possession, yes. But, he didn’t take many risks at all.
He is a high volume passer who doesn't progress the ball enough. Stats from @fbref and @statsbomb. pic.twitter.com/u0JGIbnIA5
— Robbie Dunne (@robbiejdunne) June 25, 2020
In his second Barcelona campaign, Arthur did play a little closer to the opposition box and he did get more involved in his team’s attack. But, the Barcelona bosses weren’t convinced enough to keep him at the club, especially after the signing of Frenkie de Jong to do what Arthur couldn’t in terms of ball progression.
The books-balancing swap
In the summer of 2020, Arthur was sent to Juventus and Miralem Pjanić came the other way, a swap that helped both clubs balance their books. This saw Arthur “sold” for a transfer fee of €76m, more than double his first price tag, although the reality is that neither Barcelona nor Juventus actually rated him that highly.
The transfer probably took place at the worst possible time for Arthur, as there had been some improvement in his second Barcelona season. Then, he had to start from scratch once again and he never truly settled.
At Juventus, he was misused positionally by Andrea Pirlo, which surprised commentators in Italy given how the Italian legend was expected to get the best out of each of his midfielders. With Arthur used too deep, he couldn’t make an impact in the opposition half and his ball retention skills were wasted.
Not only has Arthur started just 14 Serie A matches, but he was used as my friend @gasipo_opinions says like a holding midfielder - supporting the the fact Arthur wasn't used further forward, where at Barca he shined at times.
— 𝔼𝕌ℝ𝕆 (@EuroExpert_) November 16, 2021
With Massimiliano Allegri’s arrival this past summer, very little changed and Arthur has played just 400 minutes so far this season. That’s why he and the club are exploring loan options such as the Arsenal one.
Arthur’s injury history
Besides falling out of favour under both Pirlo and Allegri, another reason why Arthur has made so few appearances at Juventus is his worrying injury record. Over his three and a half seasons in Europe, Arthur has missed a total of 41 games through 14 separate physical issues. That has also been a factor in his struggles, preventing him from ever building up proper consistency.
How would Arthur fit in at Arsenal?
Despite Arthur failing to live up to the high expectations that existed for him when he first left Brazil behind, he is still a very talented footballer with a unique ability to hold on to the ball under pressure. If used in the right way by the right coach, he can be very effective and be an important element of a team’s attacking play.
If he were to be used in Arsenal’s double pivot, it would be a waste. Arthur might struggle defensively and also fail to have an influence in attack. But, if Mikel Arteta were to deploy Arthur further up the pitch and preferably towards the left, he could be a useful player for the Gunners.
