Amadou Diawara (Getty Images)
According to ASRoma Live (h/t The Sun), Arsenal have turned their attention towards Roma starlet Amadou Diawara as an alternate for Thomas Partey. The youngster is rated at £27m by his club.
Diawara, 23, was at the academies of Syli Authentic and FC Sequence before joining San Marino in the summer of 2015. From there, he moved to Bologna and Napoli but struggled for regular game time. After making 74 appearances in 3 years with the Naples outfit, he made the jump to Roma last summer.
Despite struggling with injuries this season, Diawara’s performances have been top-notch. He has featured in 29 games across all competitions for the Rome outfit and has evolved as a proper defensive midfielder over the last few years. Thus, Arsenal should make a move for the young Guinea international for the future.
The Gunners, meanwhile, managed to finish in the 8th position in the league standings after a disastrous first half of the campaign. Mikel Arteta’s arrival brought some positivity into the squad as they had a good run of results prior to the lockdown. They have also managed to reach the FA Cup semifinals.
However, they have been inconsistent and the manager has a lot of work to do ahead of the next season in terms of forming a strong squad. They have been with limited numbers in several key areas and thus, reinforcements should be brought if they are to improve the squad depth and challenge for various titles next season.
One of the key areas Arteta should focus on strengthening is the midfield. There are only five central midfielders available at the manager’s disposal. But their numbers could be reduced if on-loan Real Madrid star Dani Ceballos leaves after his loan spell comes to an end.
Youngster Matteo Guendouzi hasn’t featured for the Gunners since the incident at Brighton and his future in North London remains uncertain. Joe Willock, Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira are the only three other midfielders in the squad. And with limited options, they could struggle next season.
In that regard, Diawara would be a viable option for the club, who have seen a bid for Thomas Partey rejected by Atletico Madrid. The Guinean international has done a decent job for Roma so far and could be a useful player for Arsenal next season.
He is just 23 and has a lot of room for development under Arteta. His inclusion would definitely bring in healthy competition to the squad and given Torreira’s poor form, he could be a crucial addition to the Gunners squad.
With limited options and the uncertainty of two of their midfielders, signing Diawara would be a wise move. He could provide them with some much-needed depth and could also go on to represent them in the long run if he is able to continue with the good form.
