Who is…the on-loan Juventus destroyer Arsenal are sweet on?
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When it comes to looking for new players to buy, it seems Juventus is Arsenal’s first and only port of call.
Rumours linking the Gunners with a move for striker Alvaro Morata are unrelenting and now the north Londoners’ scouts appear to be sweet on a central midfielder based in Turin too.
Recent gossip columns have suggested that on-loan anchor-man Mario Lemina is the latest Juventus player to be targeted by Arsenal, although the Gunners wouldn’t be the first Premier League side to notice the Gabonese’s talents.
Liverpool, Southampton and West Ham have all been listed as suitors for the 22-year-old’s signature. However, Juventus remain in pole position to snare the player having loaned him from Marseille this summer with an obligation to buy him outright for £7.5m further down the line.
As would probably be expected in a trophy-hunting squad such as the Bianconeri’s, Lemina hasn’t been afforded a great deal of game time in Italy, but has shown flashes of his ability when picked.
According to the data provided by Whoscored, the midfielder makes more tackles per 90 minutes than any other teammate currently at the club.
The two-cap international also sits in the top 10 at Juve for interceptions per 90, fouls per 90 and passes blocked per 90.
With obvious strengths in the art of disruption, Lemina appears to be precisely the type of player that Arsene Wenger is often criticised for lacking in his side. It therefore doesn’t take too much effort to suggest the pair should link up.
But as Juventus hold the first option on the former Lorient youth player, it would be tough for the Gunners to land their man unless the Serie A giants decide to cast him aside.
An all-action 3-3 with West Ham last time out was the final nail in the coffin for Arsenal’s slim title aspirations. Ladbrokes pushed the Gunners out to 33/1 following the nutty draw, which preceded a pair of wins for league-leading duo Leicester and Tottenham.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
