Revealed: Arsenal's three-man midfield shortlist

Cameron Smith

• 24 Dec 2022 09:27 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal have reportedly narrowed down their search for a new central midfielder down to three names as the January transfer window edges ever closer.

The Gunners' early season form sees them sit atop the Premier League table, but Mikel Arteta's side are prepared to strengthen in January in a bid to fight off Manchester City and claim their first league title since 2004.

Arsenal's favoured midfield three this season has been the Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard trio, with Albert Sambi Lokonga, Mohamed Elneny and Fabio Vieira providing cover.

READ: Who is Alexis Mac Allister? Brighton's Argentina midfielder linked with Chelsea

However, it's clear that Arsenal want to strengthen in midfield, and have identified three players who could arrive in January if they submit acceptable bids.

According to Fichajes, Arteta has submitted three names to the board for pursuing in the winter transfer window. Alexis Mac Allister, Youri Tielemans, and Adrien Rabiot are the players in question, with the Gunners interested in all three.

The player Arsenal have had most long-standing interest in is Leicester City's Tielemans. The North London side were linked with a move last January and again in the summer, but a move didn't happen either time.

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Now, with just six months remaining on his contract at the King Power Stadium, seems like the perfect time to swoop for the Belgium international.

Argentina's World Cup winner Mac Allister has recently emerged as a candidate for Arsenal following his heroics in Qatar. However, he recently signed a new deal at Brighton, keeping his contracted to the south coast club until 2025. That means he will cost a huge sum, which could put Arsenal off.

Finally, Juventus' Rabiot is another target for Arsenal. The France international is set to become a free agent in July 2023, meaning the Gunners may be able to persuade Juventus to sell him for cheap in January to avoid losing him for nothing in the summer.

All three players seem best suited to the role Xhaka has played this season, with Arteta clearly keen to add depth to the box-to-box number eight role that Xhaka has thrived in this campaign.