A Replacement For Oxlade-Chamberlain? Why Arsenal Should Target This £50million Liverpool-born Midfielder

Why Arsenal Should Sign Ross Barkley From Everton

Ross Barkley is a well-known name in the English football circuit. He made his breakthrough with Everton but has failed to deliver consistently and with just a year left on his contract, the Liverpool-born player is looking for a new challenge. He has reportedly rejected a new contract with the Blues and is now trying to force a move away from the club. With Arsenal having lost Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, the Emirates has emerged as a likely destination for the 23-year-old winger.

Domino Effect

Arsenal have already sold Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool, and have thus lost a utility player who was capable of playing both on the wings and in central midfield. They are also likely to sell Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City and might get Raheem Sterling in return. The Gunners are also looking to offload defensive midfielder Mohammed Elneny, and thus they could face a severe lack of depth if they do so. Thus, signing Ross Barkley could go a long way in helping them recover from this sudden exodus.

Tactical Fit

As has been shown in their losses against Stoke City and Liverpool, Arsenal are direly missing a creative outlet in their midfield, someone who can not only score goals but also provide service to the strikers up front. Santi Cazorla is set to miss most of the season due to his injury and Barkley could do a good job in slotting in that role.

The England international is decent on the ball and makes smart, incisive runs off fullbacks and is excellent at widening the field of the play.

He can also cut in and finish off the moves and has bags of energy to complement his skills. Despite the lack of Champions League football, a better deal and a chance to play with the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette should spur him to push for a move to Arsenal.

However, it is unlikely that Everton will let go of him easily and they have apparently, already valued him at £50million. With the presence of some heavy competition to sign Barkley, the Gunners would be wise to wrap up the deal as early as possible and thus avoid the mayhem of the deadline day.

Signing Barkley would go a long way in addressing their exodus, even though it represents a gamble of sorts.