Arsenal are reportedly looking towards the summer transfer window as the 2022/23 Premier League campaign comes to a close in disappointing fashion.
The Gunners led the title race for the majority of the season, however, a rough patch of form in the final two months saw Manchester City become champions and capitalise on the north Londoners' mistakes.
Despite a bitter end, Mikel Arteta’s side have enjoyed an impressive season that saw them gain Champions League football and their highest league finish since 2016, after a testing few years in transition at the Emirates.
With the summer transfer window in sight, the Spaniard will look to recruit to maintain a similar level of performance to challenge for the title once again next campaign, with squad depth showing as an essential area for improvement.
An ongoing saga since January has linked the club with Moises Caicedo, who according to reports, is still firmly on their radar.
What’s the latest on Moises Caicedo to Arsenal?
As reported by Football Insider transfer expert Pete O’Rourke, Arsenal are in “pole position” to sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo this summer.
The Gunners had a number of bids rejected by the Seagulls in January, as well as the 21-year-old going public to express his desire to depart.
As per Football Insider’s report, the Ecuadorian is valued by his club at a price between £70m-£80m.
What could Moises Caicedo bring to Arsenal?
Arteta’s pursuit of the young star communicated the role that he could play in his system at the Emirates.
Hailed as being a “machine” by Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, the Brighton ace has been a stand-out performer this season, maintaining a Sofascore average match rating of 7.10 ranking him in the top five of his club’s best performers.
At just 21-years-old, potentially capturing the signature of Caicedo could prove to be a significant change in Arsenal’s midfield, and could replicate the influence that Patrick Vieira once had on Arsene Wenger’s success.
Making the switch from Milan to north London at the age of 20, Vieira was hailed as being a “sensational” player by the Frenchman, and a player with “good technique” – as per Evening Standard.
The Senegal-born midfielder was the glue that held the Gunners’ midfield together for years, which could be replicated by Caicedo who could too find himself making the switch to the Emirates in his early twenties.
Described by the Telegraph’s Sam Dean as a “technician and destroyer” the Ecuadorian certainly displays similar characteristics and could be the missing piece of Arsenal’s puzzle next season.
Averaging 3.01 tackles per 90 over the past year, the Brighton man ranks in the top 10% in Europe’s top five leagues in this area in his position, as per FBref, highlighting further similarities to that man Vieira.
With the speculated departure of Granit Xhaka awaiting, there is a vacancy arising in Arteta’s midfield.
That could be a perfect space for Caicedo to continue his flourishing career, and give to Arsenal as much as Arsenal could give to him.
Having secured Champions League football, north London is again an attractive place to be, and after failed bids earlier this year, can this summer finally be the time that Arteta gets his man?
