Arsenal have been linked with a summer transfer for AS Roma midfielder Steven Nzonzi.
The Frenchman joined AS Roma just last summer after a successful World Cup winning campaign with France, but another change is in the offing.
According to Calciomercatonews, Arsenal have been linked with Nzonzi, and if Monchi joins the Gunners before that, the move is even more likely to happen.
Roma haven’t had a good season so far as a squad overhaul in 2018 has seen them perform inconsistently.
Steven Nzonzi – Fact file
Nzonzi is a pretty well-known name in the Premier League as the Frenchman had a spell at Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City, before his move to Sevilla.
The 30-year old made a combined 216 appearances in the Premier League for Blackburn and Stoke before moving to the Spanish top flight.
Nzonzi is a defensive-minded midfield, and often a lot of work he does goes under the radar.
It took a while for the French national team to recognise his efforts and despite the presence of talented players like Adrien Rabiot and N’Golo Kante, Nzonzi made his French national team debut in 2017, and the age of 27.
The 30-year old has mustered impressive defensive numbers for Roma this season, having made two tackles and two clearances on an average per game in the Serie A.
Nzonzi is just the player that Arsenal need
The Frenchman is a strong defensive midfielder and would add more steel to the Gunners midfield.
Arsenal have struggled to stop goals this season, and don’t really have the defensive minded players who can help them do that.
While Lucas Torreira has done a commendable job in his first season in England, the Gunners don’t seem to have a player like the rest of the top four possess; someone who they can rely on when the going gets tough, and protect the back four.
Under Emery, Arsenal have tried to play the ball out from the back, and though they have shown glimpses that they can do it, they have lacked the consistency.
Nzonzi can help them with that as he is hard to dispossess because of how strong the Frenchman is, and can hold off players while in possession. The Frenchman’s pass completion is also at an impeccable 88.7%, so he is more or less a complete defensive midfielder.
At 30, the former Stoke midfielder is at the peak of his prowess and still has a couple of years of top-flight football left in him, so he would be a smart addition to Arsenal.
Stats via Whoscored