Napoli's Polish midfielder Piotr Zielinski controls the ball during the UEFA Europa League Group F football match Napoli vs Real Sociedad on December 10, 2020 at the newly renamed Maradona stadium, formerly known as the San Paolo, in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
Back in February 2019, a report from The Sun claimed that Arsenal had been lining up a move for Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski. However, a move to North London never quite materialised for the gifted Polish international, who ended up staying put in Naples.
Zielinski started footballing education with Zaglebie Lubin in his homeland before moving to Italy with Udinese in 2012. He made his first-team debut in 2012 but spent a couple of seasons on loan at Empoli in the Serie A after struggling for game time at his parent club. The midfielder’s rise to prominence at Empoli paved the way for a switch to Napoli in 2016 and Zielinski has established himself as a key player for the Partenopei over the past four years.
The 26-year-old contributed with 5 goals and 7 assists to guide Napoli to a 3rd-place finish in the Serie A in his debut season. Zielinski also played a key role as the club finished runners-up to Juventus during the 2018-19 campaign. The Pole has amassed an impressive tally of 24 goals and 19 assists in 207 appearances for the Partenopei across all competitions so far.
Having scored just 16 goals so far, it goes without saying that Mikel Arteta needs to seek reinforcements in the winter market to help his side climb up the table. While the lacklustre form of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Willian and Nicolas Pepe has deprived Arsenal of goals, the Gunners have also been crying out for some creative spark from the midfield.
The acquisition of Thomas Partey in the summer has undoubtedly added more solidity to the Gunners’ midfield. However, Arsenal have struggled to provide the players up top with enough service, with Mesut Ozil frozen out of the mix. Dani Ceballos has done a decent job but it’s a no-brainer that the Gunners need more creativity in their ranks to compete with the other elite clubs in the Premier League.
Putting things into context, Arsenal need to look no further beyond one of their previous targets, Piotr Zielinski, to add some much-needed X-Factor to their midfield. The vastly-experienced Polish international has evolved into a stalwart at Napoli in the Serie A and ticks plenty of boxes to come through the door at the Emirates as a marquee signing in January.
Zielinski’s ability to score goals and make assists on a consistent basis should go a long way towards getting the best out of more attacking players like Willian and Pepe at Arsenal. The Pole has proven his versatility to operate in a number of different roles at Napoli. While predominantly a box-to-box midfielder by trade, Zielinski is also capable of playing out wide and in a more advanced No.10 role behind the striker.
It is clear from the above discussion that Piotr Zielinski has the quality, experience and versatility to add some real quality to Arsenal’s midfield.
It’s hard to believe that he’s still only 26, considering that the Pole has already made close to 300 club career appearances in Italy. With his best years still potentially ahead of him, the Gunners splashing the cash on the Serie A star would be an excellent piece of business.