Forget Caicedo and Rice! Here’s the young Englishman Arsenal really need

Robin Bairner

• 3 Mar 2023 12:43 CST
• 3 min read

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is in the transfer market for a midfielder in the summer, with Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo in pole position to join the Emirates club.

If the Spaniard is willing to play the long game, though, there is an equally attractive option out there that could save the Gunners millions.

During January, Arsenal did their best to raid Brighton for Caicedo. Despite pressure from the player, the Seagulls were steadfast in their refusal to sell the 21-year-old, with their asking price of £90 million above what the London side were willing to play.

MORE: Arteta told Guardiola will 'never sell player to Arsenal again'

Rice, meanwhile, is set to go for an exorbitant fee. West Ham manager David Moyes has spoken of the England international in terms that suggest that the Hammers want a British record fee for the 24-year-old. FootballTransfers values him around the £57.5m (€65m) mark, while Manchester United legend and respected pundit Gary Neville also indicated that he would not pay that for the player.

“I would spend £50m-£60 m on Declan Rice, but I wouldn’t spend the figures being reported because I feel in that position, I still feel like he’s got a lot of growth,” he told The Overlap podcast.

MORE: Jack Wilshere names Arsenal's FOUR biggest academy stars

In short: he will not provide value for money.

Where, then, might Arsenal find a player of comparable potential for a more reasonable fee?

A perfect alternative for Arsenal

Step forward Bristol City’s Alex Scott.

At 19 years old, he is a young man with a burgeoning reputation in the Championship and has attracted significant transfer interest this season – including from Arsenal. Tottenham are another one of several Premier League sides who have been linked with him.

The Robins hope to recoup £25m for the teenager, but given that is quarter of the price of Rice and less than a third of Caicedo’s likely fee, that might not be such bad going.

Data analytics experts SciSports believe that Scott can be the equal of both these players.

According to their predictions, Scott has a potential of 122.4. While that may not mean much, Manchester United’s star midfielder Casemiro currently has a SkiSkill ranking of 124.1. So we’re looking at a player who is capable of reaching that standard. Not bad!

Indeed, this is a virtually identical figure to Rice (122.6) and marginally above Caicedo (121.6).

Gunners fans may argue that Rice may be able to make an immediate impact, but SciSports’ data suggests that Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Jorginho are all presently better central midfielders than the much-acclaimed England star.

Perhaps instead of rushing to make a blockbuster deal for Rice or Caicedo, then, Arsenal should once again trust the process and bank on Alex Scott.