Arsenal signed Declan Rice for a staggering £105 million in 2023 and are now doing everything they can to beat title rivals Manchester City.
Did he repay the fee? I’m sure he does. Since trading from east London to north London, the England international has not only become one of the best players in the Gunners team, but also one of the best in the world.
He ranks alongside the best midfielders Europe has to offer and is firmly in the conversation to win the Ballon d’Or. That may be a stretch at this point, but the fact that he even participated in the chat as far as the best in the game is concerned speaks volumes about his level of performance since his arrival.
Rice feels like he has really taken his game to the next level this term and credits his improvement to the addition of Martin Zvimendi. But that midfield axis could be split in the coming months.
Arsenal considering signing rival Martin Zvimendi
The departure of Jorginho and Thomas Partey from the Emirates Stadium last summer meant Mikel Arteta and co needed to strengthen their midfield.
To that end, they acquired Zvimendi from Real Sociedad and Christian Norgaard from Brentford. The two have had very different experiences as Arsenal players so far.
Zvimendi has played more than any other outfield player this season, while Norgaard has hardly kicked a ball. He has not started a single game in the Premier League and has only played 56 minutes in the top flight.
Arsenal players playing time – 2025/26 | |
|---|---|
player | play time |
1) David Raya | 3,600 |
2) Martin Zvimendi | 2,575 |
3) Declan Rice | 3,462 |
4) Julian Timber | 3,309 |
5) William Saliba | 3,216 |
6) Gabriel | 3,073 |
7) Bukayo Saka | 2,869 |
8) Victor Gokeres | 2,762 |
This is a striking contrast to last season, when the former Brentford captain started 34 Premier League games. Arteta is therefore likely to sign another midfielder this summer, as he clearly doesn’t have that much faith in the Dane.
Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali is currently at the top of the list, but with an offer of £100m being mooted, he may be difficult to land. That may explain the interest in Sporting midfielder Morten Hjurmand.
Record in Portugal, which is said to be a fan of the club, reported via Sport Witness that the Portuguese club are preparing to let Hulmando go this summer and are willing to accept an offer of around £34m to leave Lisbon. This amount is well below the £69m release clause in his current contract.
That would certainly pique Arsenal’s interest. Not only does Arsenal have a historical interest in the midfielder, but their reinforcements also regularly monitor Sporting, which is why they signed Victor Gokeres last summer.
The richest contract in Arsenal’s history
The Gunners have spent generously in recent years.
Why Hjormand could be Arsenal’s next Declan Rice
Zvimendi and Rice’s pivot this season was truly exceptional. The former hailed the pair’s understanding as “outstanding” earlier this season, with the England international thanking his midfield colleague for freeing him up in the final third.
In fact, this season the former West Ham man has been used more forward rather than as a holding player in midfield, scoring five goals and contributing 11 assists.
However, as the season drags on, there are concerns that the partnership is starting to fade, mainly due to Zvimendi’s fatigue and declining performance.
As a result, signing a player like Jourmand is certainly not a bad idea. Especially since he could progress further as a lone number six like Zvimendi, or even as a number eight like Arsenal’s record signing.
Some may be afraid to sign another player from Portugal’s top flight after Goqueres’ indifferent performances, but his former teammate looks like someone who is set to shine and become a star in Premier League football.
Arteta has been fond of signing physical specimens since taking over, and he will find another in the 6ft 1in midfielder.
Hailed as one of the ‘best midfielders in the world’ by Como scout Ben Mattinson, it’s easy to see why when you analyze his qualities and statistics.
Like Rice, Yurmand is truly a do-it-all midfielder. Not only is he a former Sporting captain and a leader among the men, he is, in Mattinson’s words, “a complete midfielder with the ideal combination of tenacity in off-the-ball tackling, predictive power, vertical passing and attacking the ball.”
The 26-year-old may not be one of the fastest players, but he makes up for it in many other areas. He ranks in the top 6% of midfielders in Portugal’s First Division for pass completion rate and in the best 15% for long ball accuracy. This is an area that could benefit Arsenal’s attack, with Mattinson also previously outlining that his “long pass over the top” to Gokeres created “so many chances” for Sporting.
As well as being a strong passer, Yulmando ranks in the top 6% of Portuguese midfielders in dribble success rate, completing a whopping 80% of his dribbles per 90 minutes. He has the highest duel win rate of 3% and is in the top 8% of ball recoveries per 90.
Coming from a similar background to Rice, he could well represent an upgrade to Zvimendi as Arsenal look to assemble one of their best midfield pivots in recent years.
That’s it. Mattinson previously suggested that Yurmand and Rice together could become “Vieira and Petit 2.0.” Exciting times indeed.
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Arsenal could strengthen their midfield in the summer transfer window.
