Arsenal Considering Lens Midfielder Seko Fofana to Bolster Their Midfield

According to reports in France, Arsenal are amongst the clubs who are looking to sign RC Lens midfielder Seko Fofana. The Cote d’Ivoire International has emerged as a transfer target for several European clubs in this transfer window.

The French club value the Ivorian midfielder at €40m and haven’t shown any desire to reduce that asking price. The 27-year-old won the Marc-Vivien Foe Ligue 1 award after an impressive 2021-22 season. A potential deal could see him move to the Emirates Stadium this summer.

The Gunners have had a great transfer window but they still need to add to the midfield department. Despite having a strong starting pivot in Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka in the middle of the park, there is a lack of quality in depth and manager Mikel Arteta needs additions to boost his options.

According to L’Equipe (via Football London), Arsenal are interested in signing Seko Fofana from RC Lens this summer. The Ivorian has been chosen as an alternative if the North London side are unable to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans.

The Gunners have been trying to bring in the Leicester City midfielder, but a deal have failed to materialise so far. The Belgian has turned down a contract extension at the King Power Stadium and could be available for as little as £25 million. However, Arsenal’s technical director, Edu, is reluctant to pay the midfielder’s asking price.

Seko Fofana could serve as a better alternative for Arsenal with respect to Tielemans. Nevertheless, it won’t be easy to sign the Lens midfielder with multiple clubs expressing interest in signing the player. Juventus, PSG and Newcastle United – all have shown interest in the 27-year-old.

Player Profile

Seko Fofana joined Manchester City in 2013 from Lorient and joined up with City’s development squad. He left the Etihad Stadium in 2016 during Pep Guardiola’s first season as manager at the club. The Ivorian made the switch to Serie A club Udinese.

However, it is his spell at Ligue 1 club Lens where he has excelled and showed his quality. The Ivory Coast international played in every league game last season as his side made a surprise push for Champions League qualification before narrowly missing out.

Arsenal are interested in signing midfield 'powerhouse' Seko Fofana from RC Lens. 📝

He's been described as 'the new Yaya Toure' and could be a great addition to the Arsenal midfield! 👀#AFC #Arsenal #Fofana pic.twitter.com/ngYhm6VOrw

— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) June 25, 2022

The 27-year-old contributed with 12 goals in 41 matches (stats via transfermarkt), showing his ability as a box-to-box midfielder, which would be useful for the Gunners going into the next season. Arteta lacked a goal source from midfield in the previous season and Fofana could certainly fill that void. He showed in the previous campaign that he has the physical qualities to compete in the Premier League.

Other than that, he also had the sixth most progressive carries in Ligue 1 last campaign, he had the fourth-most carries into the final-third and ranked ninth in the chart that showed players who dribbled past most opponents in France’s top division.

Verdict

Youri Tielemans was thought to be the main target to bolster the Arsenal midfield. Despite being aware of the price tag, Edu has been reluctant to pay the asking fee as there are doubts in the Gunners camp about the physicality of the Belgian. Tielemans had been caught out defensively numerous times during the previous campaigns at Leicester City.

If Edu does opt against signing the Belgian midfielder, then it is crucial that an alternative is brought in. If Arsenal want to sign a player with better physical attributes than the Leicester midfielder, then Seko Fofana would certainly fit the bill. Paris Saint-Germain have held talks regarding the potential signing of the player from Lens along with Newcastle United and hence, the Gunners need to hurry if they want to secure his signature.

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