Here is why Arsenal's move for Youri Tielemans is another poor scouting that could lead to another regret for Mikel Arteta

Arsenal are in the market for a new No. 8 and the odds is on Belgian midfielder, Youri Tielemans to become a Gunner as reports suggest he is the man Mikel Arteta priotize.

The 25-year-old is believed to be perfect for the system Arteta wants to play in the sense he uses both feet and can get them a quantifiable amount of goal contributions from the middle of the park.

The midfielder also has offers from other top teams but could still choose to move to Arsenal even without Champions League football. The Gunners are also reported to be leading the race for his signature.

Tielemans is an established international player with the Belgian Red Devils and has been a crucial part of Brendan Rodgers setup at Leicester City since joining from Monaco on loan in January, 2019 before the move was made permanent the following summer.

The former Anderlecht man has been hailed for his technical abilities on the ball. His versatility as a defensive or attacking midfielder, along with his ambidexterity makes a the full package as a midfielder.

Tielemans at £25m is incredible value. The best form of defense is dominating possession and Tielemans optimizes space with elite positioning. His ball-striking is top notch. He’s also impossible to press and an efficient progression machine. He can help Mikel Arteta's side exert control over games. 

He has a year left on his current deal and Arsenal are ready to part ways with £25 million to lure him to the Emirates this summer as they bid to strengthen their squad having sealed a return to Europe next season with the Europa League.

However, as good as the Belgian is on the ball, he is almost as bad without it and you can't help but feel Arteta and Edu can do a bit better in terms of scouting a player with better physicality.

Arsenal is already a team where with midfield players lack legs and has no presser. It was obvious during the season as they struggled against teams like Liverpool, Palace and Newcastle United at the Saint James' Park, teams whose midfielders’ work rate is severe.

Arsenal currently have Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny and Sambi Lokonga, all who are not very good at pressing and adding Youri Tielemans to the ranks might in the end prove the wrong deal.

Tielemans on his own conceded four penalties in the league this season, which is more than any other player in the top five leagues. He struggles against teams with high pressing, the same problem Arsenal midfielders had in the just concluded season.

The current Arsenal midfield options are liability for the defense and they should be looking to add steel and leadership this summer, in order to create more rigidity in a team already dominated by youth players.

Having missed out on Bruno Guimarães, who would have been the best fit for the position, Arsenal has some responsibility in their hands in order to sign a player that will fit well and settle down quickly.

However, with the areas Tielemans’ weaknesses lies, he is surely not the answer to Arsenal's midfield inability to exert control over games and he gets dispossessed easily and is also prone to poor passes.

Arsenal's decision to overlook the center midfield position last summer backfired during the season when Thomas Partey suffered an injury and during the AFCON and the recruited Sambi Lokonga wa no where near ready to compete in an elite league like the Premier League.

If the option is not perfectly scouted, next season might be another one where the Gunners come close but not close enough to achieve their objectives.

Author: Kehinde Hassan Afolabi