Signing Christopher Nkunku can provide Arsenal with a massive boost
According to the Daily Mail, Paris Saint-Germain youngster Christopher Nkunku could be reunited with Unai Emery at Arsenal.
French source L’Equipe claims that the Gunners have expressed an interest in the 21-year-old, and are keen to secure his services on loan in January with an obligation to buy next summer.
The report also claims that Arsenal’s talks with Barcelona over playmaker Denis Suarez has broken down and the Gunners have set their sights on the highly-rated PSG academy product to bolster their squad.
A product of PSG’s youth system, Nkunku made his senior professional debut in 2015 and has made a total of 65 appearances for the Ligue 1 leaders across all competitions, accumulating 9 goals and 3 assists.
He excelled under Unai Emery when the Spaniard was in charge at PSG, scoring 7 goals from 42 appearances. Born in France to parents of Congolese descent, Nkunku has 24 caps under his belt for France at all youth levels.
He is a versatile midfielder who has played in multiple positions for the Parisians at youth and senior levels. While he is essentially a central midfielder by trade, the 21-year-old has played as a right-back, right-winger and an attacking midfielder as well. Known for his stamina, tenacity and technical brilliance, Nkunku is comfortable operating as a box-to-box midfielder and also in a holding role.
He has earned rave reviews in France for his quality on the ball and composure in possession, showing maturity beyond his tender years in his decision making. He likes to press and close down the opposition in the middle of the park, covering every blade of grass and not allowing them any time on the ball with his tireless running.
The Frenchman has the ability to dictate the tempo of the game with his wonderful range of passing, often turning defence into attack with key passes. Operating as a right-back, he makes use of his pace, tenacity and tackling to keep the opposition at bay.
To put things into perspective, he would be an ideal signing for Arsenal in January, with the Gunners in desperate need to bolster their squad to cover for the impending departure of Aaron Ramsey. Mohamed Elneny is another player who has been linked with a move away from north London, having fallen out of favour under Emery.
As things stand, Arsenal have only Lucas Torreira, Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi as their options in central midfield. They currently face a shortage in the back position as well, with Hector Bellerin ruled out for the season. While Xhaka and Guendouzi have been rather inconsistent, reserve right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner hasn’t hit top gear since his summer move to the Premier League.
Arsenal have problems in multiple areas and a versatile player like Christopher Nkunku can be a huge boost to their squad depth and team dynamics. Moreover, he is someone who suits Emery’s philosophy and the Spaniard can rely on him, having worked together at PSG before.
