Premier League giants Arsenal spent 230 million euros to strengthen their squad in the summer transfer window, signing stars such as Rice, Havertz, and Timber.
Mikel Arteta's side are looking to build on last year's second-place finish and win the Premier League title after a decade-long absence. However, after 20 games, Arsenal are fourth in the league with only 40 points, five points behind Liverpool at the top of the table. And the team has 1 draw and 2 losses in the last 3 rounds, if it continues like this, let alone winning the championship, it is difficult to even guarantee Champions League qualification.
Therefore, Arsenal plan to use the winter transfer window to continue to strengthen the squad. In midfield, Arsenal set their sights on Everton's midfielder Onana.
According to a number of English media outlets, Arsenal see Onana as the main target for midfield reinforcements and will make their first offer shortly.
Belgian star Amadou Onana was born on August 16, 2001, and is not yet 23 years old. Onana came out of the Hoffenheim Academy in the Bundesliga, and as a long-established FM demon, Onana is an absolute mainstay in both the Belgian youth team and the club's youth team.
In the summer of 2021, Onana moved to Ligue 1 side Lille for €13 million, and Arsenal have been following him ever since, before moving to Everton in the Premier League for €35 million a season later.
Onana's physical fitness is very good, reaching a height of 1.92 meters, as well as good agility and coordination, and the tall and long-legged Onana has a large defensive area in the midfield and strong air defense, which can be said to be a midfield barrier. Onana made 33 Premier League appearances last season, averaging 2.24 tackles, 1.06 interceptions and 1.15 clearances per game, with a pass completion rate of 84 per cent. All defensive statistics are among the best in the Premier League's defensive midfielders.
It is this excellent performance that has made Onana worth 50 million euros, the most expensive player in the Everton team.
A number of big clubs wanted to bring in Onana last summer, but Everton refused to let him go. However, at present, although the Everton team is under great pressure from relegation, the team's financial situation is also under great pressure, so as long as the transfer fee is in place, Everton will not force Onana to stay.
Although Arsenal has a lot of midfielders, Thomas has been injured for a long time, Jorginho is soft and slow, and others are not in Arteta's eyes at all, so the midfield combination of Rice + Odegaard + Havertz is almost untouchable. However, Havertz has scored four goals and provided one assist in 17 Premier League games, and his performance has been tepid.
According to media analysis, the reason why Arteta wants to buy Onana in the winter window is mainly to liberate Rice and use Onana to play the back, Rice and Odegaard play as central midfielders, making full use of Rice's ball holding and impact to increase the speed and pressure of the attack, and break the current lack of offensive power.
Onana's contract with Everton does not expire until 2027 and the transfer fee is expected to be no less than 60 million euros, which is not much of a problem for Arsenal, who are in a good financial position.
Arsenal also want a centre-forward with consistent efficiency up front, and the current strikers Gabriel Jesus and Nketiah are both technical, and neither of them is very good at the goal, so Arsenal's attack always feels like it's scratching the boot.
The closest to Arsenal is Brentford's centre-forward Ivan Toney. The 27-year-old tall and athletic striker could be used as a fulcrum in the box, having scored 20 goals and provided four assists in 33 Premier League games last season, and his height and header could easily convert Bukayo Saka and Martinelli's crosses into goals.
Toni is currently valued at €35 million and Chelsea are also in contention for the goalscorer, with Brentford putting a £100 million (€116 million) price tag on Toney, which is expected to be sold for $80 million.
If Arsenal can get these two strong signings in the winter window, the transfer fee is expected to exceed 150 million euros. Although the cost is huge, it is also within the range of Arsenal's affordability, and both of them have been tested in the Premier League, which can be said to be super powerful.
Whether Arsenal can win the championship in the second half of the season depends on the reinforcements in the winter window!