Fulham hijacking Arsenal’s £14m deal for this La Liga outcast would be an outstanding deal for Ranieri

Why Fulham should beat Arsenal to sign Denis Suarez in January

According to a report from the Daily Mail, Arsenal are interested in Barcelona outcast Denis Suarez. The 24-year-old is struggling for game time at Barcelona this season and might leave the Spanish club in the forthcoming transfer window.

With 18 months still to run on his contract, the Catalan club have offered the Spanish midfielder to Arsenal in a bargain £14m deal, adds the report.

With Arsenal looking at Denis Suarez as a potential replacement for Aaron Ramsey, Fulham must rival the Gunners for the player’s signature.

Fulham are currently struggling to get points in the Premier League, languishing at the bottom of the table with just nine points in 16 games. The basement boys have shown signs of improvement under new manager Claudio Ranieri but they were thrashed by Manchester United 4-1 at Old Trafford last weekend.

Speaking about the Cottagers’ 4-1 loss at Manchester United, Ranieri’s boys were completely flat in the first half and should have conceded at least five goals had it not been for the home side’s profligate finishing.

However, they improved after the break as Ranieri made some attacking substitutions. And the changes worked wonders for Fulham as one of the substitutes—Aboubakar Kamara—pulled one back for the visitors from the penalty spot.

Kamara’s goal gave the Cottagers a lot of confidence, with their play becoming quicker and every time the attacking players got the ball, they threatened United’s backline. However, Fulham lacked the cutting edge in the final third to carve open United’s defence regularly and the game eventually ended 4-1.

With the winter transfer window set to open in a couple of weeks’ time, Ranieri should target a creative midfielder to bring more potency to his team’s play in the last third. And Denis Suarez would be a perfect fit for Ranieri’s direct style of football at Craven Cottage.

Intelligent, creative on the ball and tactically versatile enough to play in a number of midfield positions, Suarez can provide the spark to Fulham’s blunt attack. He is blessed with a solid technique and composure on the ball, while he would also provide the Cottagers with real depth in the engine room.

The 24-year-old is a highly talented creative playmaker, who has some decent pace to burn. He can carve open defences with his incisive passing. An excellent passer of the ball, Suarez loves to pick up intelligent spaces and create chances for his teammates. He has got incredible technical abilities and while he’s not a goalscoring midfielder, the Spaniard can still chip in with important goals.

The former Manchester City ace is very quick and agile in 1v1 situations. He can also dribble with the ball without giving away possession and can also create opportunities for his teammates in the final third.

Read more: Fulham’s attack would receive some much-needed help if this powerful 27-year-old joins them in January

With Suarez out of favour under Ernesto Valverde at Barcelona, Fulham should capitalise on the situation by providing him with an escape route to Craven Cottage next month.