Arsenal is one of the clubs interested in signing Alexis MacAllister this summer, and a move to north London is thought to ‘appeal’ to the World Cup-winning midfielder…
What is the most recent update on Arsenal’s interest in Alexis MacAllister?
TEAMtalk reported earlier this month that the Gunners, along with rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, are keeping an eye on the Argentine’s situation at the Amex Stadium, with transfer insider Graeme Bailey speculating that he “wants to leave Brighton this summer.”
That could change if the Seagulls qualify for Europe, but with the club currently in seventh place, tied on points with Liverpool and Brentford, it will be a difficult task.
In the recent January transfer window, Brighton demanded around £50 million, and according to journalist Paul Brown, a move to Arsenal in particular “would certainly appeal to him,” as he told GiveMeSport.
Who might benefit from the arrival of Mac Allister at Arsenal?
Whether or not he makes Mikel Arteta’s starting XI, Mac Allister would undoubtedly add a different edge to the Spaniard’s engine room. At 24, he could easily overtake Granit Xhaka, 30, and Thomas Partey, 29, in the coming seasons.
His arrival could be good news for Martin Odegaard, who is likely to be one of the Gunners’ season MVP candidates, with his creative exploits proving to be the difference between a top-four finish and a title challenge.
According to WhoScored, the Norwegian maestro ranks second on the team in goal contributions (10 goals and six assists) and first in key passes per game.
This season, Mac Allister has provided seven goals for Roberto De Zerbi, while his average of 2.28 shots per 90 over the last year places him among the top 4% of his positional peers across Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues, according to FBref, implying that he can add additional firepower to the attack without giving up much defensively, as he ranks second in the Brighton squad for tackles per game.
Martin Odegaard of Arsenal celebrates his third goal with Leandro Trossard.
To put things into perspective, both Xhaka and Partey have scored seven goals, the same as the Seagulls star on his own, while neither has more than 2.4 tackles per league game.
Not only would the 24-year-old, whom journalist Pete O’Rourke described as a “dream signing for a number of clubs,” relieve Odegaard of the burden of delivering in and around the penalty box, but he’d do so without leaving large gaps in midfield, thanks to his work rate and defensive quality.
According to reporter Roy Nemer, the “unplayable” machine would be a solid summer signing and could help Edu Gaspar form a frightening midfield duo for Arteta to deploy next season.
