Arsenal made quite the statement upon their return to Premier League action over the weekend, thumping Crystal Palace 5-0 and reigniting their push for domestic supremacy.
The goals were spread between Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, with the assists coming from Declan Rice, Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Jorginho.
However, one starting midfielder failed to make much of an impact at all; Kai Havertz. The Standard's Simon Collings gave him a 6/10, describing his performance as 'quiet' – which isn't great considering the scoreline.
The former Chelsea man has had a few moments in the sun here and there since making his £65m move in the summer, but it would be hard to describe his return of five goals and one assist in 30 appearances across all competitions this season as value for money.
With that in mind and the title on the line, it might make sense for Arsenal to sign another midfielder this month to take his place in the XI, and based on the number of midfielders that have been linked to them so far, Mikel Arteta might have the same idea.
So, let's take a look at three of them.
1 Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich
The first name on the list is another former Chelsea man – although this one never made a senior appearance for the side – Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala.
The young German prodigy was linked to the Gunners for £87m in a report from TEAMtalk earlier this month, and with German legend Lothar Matthäus labelling him as the "Messi of the future" in 2022, it would be fair to say that there is an awful lot of hope pinned on his 20-year-old shoulders.
That said, it isn't without reason; as per FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, the Stuttgart-born dynamo sits in the top 1% of midfielders for non-penalty goals, non-penalty expected goals and assists, progressive carries, successful take-ons and touches in the opposition's penalty area all per 90 – and those are just the stats for which he is in the top percentile.
The "incredible player", as talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him, delivers on those underlying numbers as well, scoring five goals and providing two assists in just nine Bundesliga starts this season.
He was just as, if not more, impressive last season, scoring 12 goals and providing ten assists in just 26 league starts.
If Arteta can get his hands on Musiala, then it could be very much game over for Havertz as an Arsenal starter.
Musiala
Stats vs Midfielders
Havertz
Top 1%
Non-Penalty Goals
Top 18%
Top 1%
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
Top 1%
Top 1%
Progressive Carries
Top 28%
Top 1%
Successful Take-Ons
Bottom 47%
Top 1%
Touches in the Oppositions Penalty Area
Top 1%
Top 2%
Non-Penalty Expected Goals
Top 18%
Top 2%
Shot-Creating Actions
Top 45%
Top 4%
Assists
Bottom 21%
All Stats via FBref
2 Pedri – Barcelona
The second player on the list might not be quite as prolific on the goalscoring front, but he already has an impressive back catalogue of brilliant performances and fantastic skills despite still only being 21 years old.
According to a Spanish report earlier this month, Arsenal have shown interest in signing Barcelona's uber-talented Pedri.
The report detailed that despite the young Spaniard being one of the club's crowning jewels – and the proud owner of a €1bn (£855m) release clause – his poor injury record and the club's well-publicised financial difficulties mean that he could be sold at some point.
It's easy to imagine that if that does in fact come to fruition, the "extremely intelligent" Bajamar-born gem, as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, will have more than just the Gunners chasing him, and based on his underlying numbers, it is easy to see why.
This season he is registering a non-penalty expected goal and assists figure of 0.73 per 90, producing 2.89 progressive carries, 7.89 progressive passes, 4.75 shot-creating actions and 1.18 successful take-ons per 90.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, Havertz's underlying numbers have been nowhere close, and were this deal to go through, he would undoubtedly be occupying a space on the bench in no time at all.
Stats per 90
Pedri
Havertz
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.73
0.33
Progressive Carries
2.89
1.45
Progressive Passes
7.89
4.06
Shots on Target
0.40
0.22
Passing Accuracy
86.0%
81.6%
Shot-Creating Actions
4.75
2.25
Successful Take-Ons
1.18
0.51
All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season
3 Xavi Simons – Paris Saint-Germain (RB Lepizig)
The final talent who could go on to replace Havertz in Arsenal's starting XI is an incredibly exciting young prodigy who has the ability to thrive in the middle of the park and out on either wing.
The player is, of course, Paris Saint-Germain's new Flying Dutchman, Xavi Simons. The 20-year-old dynamo spent last season dazzling fans in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven, and this season he is doing the same thing, only on loan with RB Leipzig.
According to a report from German publication BILD (via Spot Witness), the Gunners are 'in the picture' for Simons, who data analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed "one of the most exciting teenagers in world football".
It wouldn't be an outrageously expensive deal to complete either, with reports suggesting that his signature could be secure for as little as £43m, which in turn would see PSG net a very quick profit on their investment.
Despite only being in East Germany for half a season, the incredibly talented youngster has already scored seven goals and provided nine assists in 23 starts across all competitions.
His underlying numbers are also out of this world and suggest that his output is both a fair reflection of his ability and most importantly, sustainable.
It is the same story for Havertz though, as the German comes out second best in every relevant metric when comparing his underlying numbers to Simons'.
Stats per 90
Simons
Havertz
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.47
0.33
Goals
0.31
0.29
Assists
0.44
0.07
Progressive Carries
4.44
1.45
Progressive Passes
5.69
4.06
Shots on Target
1.06
0.22
Shot-Creating Actions
5.69
2.25
Goal-Creating Actions
0.81
0.22
Successful Take-Ons
2.44
0.51
All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season
Much like the two men above, the addition of Simons could well represent something of an upgrade on Havertz at the Emirates.
