Italian news outlet Tuttomercatoweb has reported that Arsenal have joined the race for Cagliari star Nicolo Barella. The young midfielder has lit up the Serie A with his performances and despite that, he has not been scooped by a big side.
However, it looks like his time may finally arrive. As Tuttomercatoweb has announced that Arsenal believes that the 21-year-old could be a replacement for Aaron Ramsey. The Welshman is leaving Arsenal after 11 years with the club, in a move that will hurt Arsenal in the near future.
Ramsey has been an integral part of the team since his breakout 2013/14 season alongside Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla. While injuries have played a part since then, the 28-year-old will leave on a Bosman at the end of the season for Juventus (Guardian).
While it is a sensational coup for Juventus, for Arsenal, it’s the exact opposite. Not only does the club lose a big star but they lose him for free.
Replacing him will be the hardest thing for the club, but adding Nicolo Barella would ease that tension. Dubbed the next Steven Gerard (Sun), the 22-year-old has been a standout star for Cagliari.
His defensive ability is without a doubt incredible and it is not even what Barella has come to be known for. So far this season, he has averaged 2.8 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.6 fouls per game, which is downright incredible.
Furthermore, no Arsenal star has managed to make more tackles per game than Barella and only Granit Xhaka has managed more interceptions (Whoscored).
That shows just how crucial Nicolo Barella could be. His passing is a decent 81% and he creates 1.1 key passes and averages 3 long passes a game (Whoscored).
Barring Mesut Ozil, no midfielder has created more key passes. And both Torriera and Xhaka outdo Barella when it comes to passing accuracy and long passes respectively.
Unlike both Ramsey and Gerrard, Nicolo Barella is yet to find his goalscoring touch. However, that would develop with time and patience as the young Italian has shown the propensity to find himself in great goalscoring positions.
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Arsenal need reinforcements next season, especially if they ever want to challenge for the top three again, let alone the title.
Not only is Nicolo Barella talented enough to be that man but more importantly, he can help them bridge the gap between the attack and the defence, taking some pressure off the rest of the team.
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