Arsenal in contract negotiations with ‘world’s best commercial candidate’

Since taking over over six years ago, Mikel Arteta has been instrumental in a complete transformation at Arsenal.

His tactical approach and philosophy were part of the club’s overhaul from a sleeping giant to a team expected to win the Premier League, but his move was equally important.

The Spaniard hasn’t always done well in the market, but he has overseen the signing of talented players such as Declan Rice, Julian Timber, Gabriel Magalhães, David Raya and club captain Martin Odegaard.

The Norwegian has only started to get back to his best this season and, if reports are to be believed, Arsenal have already identified potential signings to replace him long-term.

Arsenal looking to replace Odegaard

It’s no secret that last season was an underwhelming one for Odegaard, to say the least.

Perhaps due in large part to his ankle injury, the Norwegian was far from his wayward best and struggled to influence matches as he had in previous seasons.

Fortunately, although he still has to deal with injury issues this year, the captain is starting to look like the midfield general who won back-to-back Player of the Season awards.

For example, FBref ranks him in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League this season for progressive passing, top 3% for shot creation actions, and top 4% for assists, all with a score of 90.

So, with Odegaard returning to his influential self, but also set to turn 28 this year, it makes sense to know that the club is eyeing a player who could one day replace him long-term.

At least that’s according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, which claims Arsenal still have a huge interest in Arda Guler.

In fact, reports suggest that the north Londoner has been in contact with the player’s camp on a number of occasions recently, particularly in the last month, over the possibility of a move at some point.

But the bad news for the Gunners is that, according to reports, the Turkish prodigy has made it clear that he wants to remain at Real Madrid for the time being.

That said, things could change in the coming months and years, and given Guler’s immense ability and potential, Arsenal should continue to pursue him, especially as he could be the perfect long-term successor to Odegaard.

Why Guler is a dream to replace Odegaard

So the first thing to say is that if his recent performances are anything to go by, Odegaard is back to his best and there is no need to replace him.

However, he is due to turn 28 at the end of the year, so it would be wise for Arsenal to consider who could be his long-term replacement and provide competition for raw options in Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman.

This is where Guler appears. Although he is still in the early stages of his career, there are several reasons why he already looks like he could be a dream option for the Gunners.

The first is that he already shows the same positional orientation as the Norwegian.

For example, he can and has played in several roles, but has spent most of his time in attacking midfield or on the right flank, suggesting he could play a right midfield role under Arteta.

In addition to this, the 20-year-old has also shown the ability to not only handle extreme pressure, but thrive under it.

He has already made 89 first-team appearances for Los Blancos, playing a total of 4,305 minutes, scoring 15 goals and providing 19 assists.

This works out to be an excellent average of being involved in a goal every 2.61 games, or every 126.61 minutes, which would be impressive for a veteran let alone a young player.

As if that wasn’t enough, he also became Turkey’s next big hope, amassing a record of six goals and six assists in just 26 senior caps.

Last but not least, the Ankara-born talent, described by content creator Neil Gardner as “the single best CM/AM candidate in world football right now,” also has impressive numbers to his name.

According to FBref, among attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues, he ranks in the top 1% for expected assist goals, completed passes, progressive passes and key passes, and in the top 3% for shot creation actions, all with 90 points.

FBref also ranks Odegaard as the number one attacking midfielder or winger most similar to the youngster in Europe’s top five leagues, which greatly supports his suitability as a long-term successor.

At the end of the day, it could be an incredibly difficult move to get over the line in a short amount of time, but Arsenal should continue to pursue Guler as he has the potential to become a megastar in the future.