A fit Partey is a crucial player in our system as we have seen last year but since joining us, he has been injured…a lot…And now we will do without him during the African Cup of Nations…El Neny will leave too for the ACN and we would be left with Rice, Jorginho, Vieira, ESR and potentially Kiwior and Zinchenko to play as our double pivot…

Rice-Jorginho – works OK but we lose out on Rice’s outstanding contribution as a shield in front of our defense. Also, his passing from a traditional DM position is very good so it is a trade-off to consider.

In any case, Partey is being linked with a move away from the club since last summer with Serie A a probable destination…So who could come in to replace him?

• Y. Fofana from Monaco would be an excellent addition. He can play as a traditionnal 6 but also as a box-to-box. He is young, has a very good passing in him and a decent shot as well.
• K. Philipps from Man City may flourish again under Arteta. His partnership with Rice has been outstanding for England and he is one that is happy to do the dirty work so having him and Rice behind Odegarrd would definitely help us. Is it a risk bringing him in given his horrid time at Man City? Maybe but I d gamble on him…
• K. Thuram is a player to watch. Still a bit tender at times, he has got great potential. He can break lines with his running and passing but he is still inconsistent and need to beef up his defensive contribution. I would not break my bank for him, just yet.
• D. Luiz, what a player. He can do it all in the midfield. I am not sure he ll be willing to join us though given the form of his team but he would be an outstanding addition to our team. Maybe Edu can sell him the Brazilian connection.
• Bowen and McGinn, under rated players with huge work rate. They can help add steel to our midfield although they are yet to reach top class level yet.
• Musiala, the dream. A Bellingham in the making to be honest but he can only play moving forward for now, which would see Odegaard drop to the double pivot, which is OKish.

Ra(finish the word) – White, Saliba, Gabs, Zinchenko – Rice, FOFANA (or D.LUIZ or K.PHILIPPS) – Odegaard – Saka, G. Jesus, Martinlli

Ra(finish the word) – Cedric?, Kiwior, ?, Tomy? – El Neny, Jorginho – ESR – RN, Nketiah, Trossard

I like F. Vieira but I believe that a fit ESR is more valuable to the team…

Also, there is clearly a need to look at enhancing the team at CB and WB.

In Ligue 1, Melvin Bard is looking promising at LWB and J. Clauss is doing well at RWB but in the EPL, a playing like Coufal, Mytchel could be good options while Frimpong.

At CB, Singho, Guehi, Danso, Tarkowski, Dunk, Nunes may be worth exploring…Singho, Guehi, Danso as real comptetion for Saliba-Gabs and the rest just to add depth to our bench. I am yet to see the real value addition and stability that Kiwior brings to the backline.

Also, we must extend Tomy’s contract…He is reliable and also a great squad player.

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