It finally happened; after weeks of waiting, Arsenal announced the signing of Italian centre-back Riccardo Calafiori yesterday afternoon.
The former Bologna ace is the Gunners' first real addition to the first team this summer, as teenagers Lucas Nygaard and Tommy Setford are unlikely to feature at all in the coming season and David Raya's loan was always going to be made into a permenant one.
While it was undoubtedly a great way for the North Londoners to start the week, there is still plenty of work to do over the next few weeks to reinforce other areas of Mikel Arteta's team, including the midfield.
Fortunately, the latest star touted for a move to the Emirates would do just that and would be unreal alongside Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from Jonathan Johnson's Daily Briefing via Caught Offside, Arsenal are among several sides interested in Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Fabian Ruiz.
Johnson claims that the next step is for the Gunners to actually make an offer for the player so PSG can decide on their next move and whether they wish to keep him at the club beyond this summer.
No price is mentioned in the report, but Transfermakrt values the Spanish international at €35m, which converts to about £29m.
If that's even close to the fee it would take to sign him, it could be a deal too good to pass up on, especially as a midfield three of Odegaard, Ruiz, and Rice would be incredible.
Why Ruiz would be a great signing
There are a few reasons why Ruiz would be an incredible signing for Arsenal this summer, but the primary one is that he would complete the midfield.
The European champion is the perfect player to come in and make the left-eight his own, which, in turn, would allow Rice to permanently move into the number six role, which he described as his "best position" last season.
Through his underlying numbers from FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, we can see how well-suited the PSG star would be to playing as the eight in a midfield three.
Assists
0.25
Top 6%
Non-Penalty Expected Goals
0.16
Top 9%
Pass Completion
89.3%
Top 12%
Successful Take-Ons
1.19
Top 15%
Shots Total
1.59
Top 18%
Progressive Passes
6.24
Top 22%
Touches in the Opposition's Penalty Area
1.98
Top 22%
Progressive Passes Received
3.52
Top 22%
Tackles
2.38
Top 28%
They rank the 28-year-old "artist", as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, in the top 6% of midfielders for assists, the top 9% for non-penalty expected goals, the top 12% for pass completion, the top 15% for successful take-ons, the top 18% total shots, the top 22% for progressive passes, progressive passes received and touches in the opposition's penalty area and the top 28% for tackles, all per 90.
This broad set of skills would make him an incredible left-eight for the North Londoners. He'd be able to help out with some defensive work alongside the former West Ham United captain before bringing the ball forward and playing a killer pass into Odegaard or the forward players.
Moreover, his creativity and passing range would help the Norwegian ace in several ways.
First, he'd be able to provide opportunities for the former Real Madrid gem to get on the end of balls himself and improve his already impressive scoring record. Second, the attacking threat he'd provide would force opposition teams to focus on him as well as the captain, thus freeing up more space for both of them.
Lastly, while it's great to have impressive underlying numbers to show how talented a player you are, it's even better to have the raw output to back it up, and the good news here is that the Napoli star has both.
In 35 appearances last season, the Spaniard scored three goals and provided seven assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 3.5 games, which is nothing to scoff at for a central midfielder.
Ultimately, signing Ruiz as the club's new number eight would allow Rice to solidify his position as the team's out-and-out six while simultaneously providing Odegaard with a creative teammate who could give him more chances to impact games through either his inventiveness or by pulling opposition players away.
Therefore, even if he costs more than the valuation from Transfermarkt, Edu and Co should do what they can to bring the Spanish magician to the Emirates this summer.
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