Why Arsenal should make a move for Franck Kessie and bolster their midfield

According to CalcioMercato 24 (h/t The Daily Star), Arsenal have made an approach to sign AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie this summer.

Since joining for AC Milan on a permanent deal from Atalanta last season, Franck Kessie, 23, has impressed with his performances in the middle of the park. He has made 25 appearances across all competitions for AC Milan this season, scoring and assisting a goal apiece. He has a contract until the summer of 2022.

The report (h/t The Daily Star) adds Kessie is not in the transfer market, although they could reconsider with his future yet to be sought.

Arsenal are placed 10th in the Premier League table. Despite their good run of form, they have been inconsistent and have lacked creativity. The North London side are also knocked out of the Europa League after losing to Greek giants Olympiacos on away goals.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been consistently scoring goals for the Gunners over the last two seasons. He is the club’s top scorer this season with 20 goals. Except for the Gabonese, the rest of the forwards have found it difficult to score on a regular basis. Thus, Mikel Arteta should look to strengthen the forward department for the next season.

In Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira, Dani Ceballos, Mateo Guendouzi, Joe Willock and Mesut Ozil, Arsenal do have plenty of options as far as the midfield department is concerned. Yet, there are limitations in that position.

Once Dani Ceballos’ loan deal expires and he returns to Real Madrid, the Gunners will be left with limited midfield options to compete next season. To that end, the Gunners must definitely attempt to sign Kessie from AC Milan.

Kessie is a quality midfielder who has performed consistently in the Serie A over the last few seasons. He first caught the attention with Atalanta in 2016/17 season where he scored seven goals in 30 Serie A appearances. At Milan, the Ivorian scored 5 and 7 goals in the 2017/18 and the 2018/19 seasons respectively. These are good numbers for a central midfielder.

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Most of the players in the Gunners’ side are young and Kessie would be a viable option to add quality to their midfield. He is purely a central midfielder and would compete with the likes of Xhaka, Torreira, Guendouzi and Willock next season if a move to Arsenal goes through.

At the age of 23, the Ivorian has all the abilities to succeed at a higher level if he continues to perform with the same form.

Verdict

There are chances of Kessie establishing himself at a higher level under the guidance of Arteta, given that he has shown his quality in Serie A. Hence, Arsenal must secure the Ivory Coast international’s signature in a bid to strengthen their midfield.