Arsenal have been in talks “for weeks” to sign £85m star

Signing a player based on their World Cup performances is very rarely a good idea but it was hard for Arsenal not to sit up and take notice of Ayyoub Bouaddi’s performance for Morocco last weekend.

The 18-year-old, who plays for Lille in France, dominated a pitch featuring some of the greatest players of this generation.

Bouaddi ran rings around Casemiro, around Fabinho, around Bruno Guimaraes and Lucas Paqueta. He probably should have won the official player of the match award over Vini Junior too.

Alas, the Morrocan will have to wait for a personal accolade. The wait for a big move, however, may not be far away. The Gunners are one of a host of teams interested in the teenager but he is not the only midfielder on their radar.

Arsenal in talks to sign big-money Bouaddi alternative

Before the World Cup had even got underway, Arsenal’s interest in the young midfielder was well known.

Some reports a few weeks ago even suggested that a bid had been made to sign the Lille wonderkid and while that has not been confirmed, talks have reportedly been ongoing since January to bring the player to the Premier League.

Arsenal are not the only club interested. Liverpool have also held regular talks to sign the Moroccan and Chelsea are also making their own pitch to bring him to England.

The chase for Bouaddi’s signature is set to be hotly contested and the same can be said of Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali.

On Monday evening, the big news broke that Spurs were trying to sign the Italian and that they had made him a leading target to bolster the midfield this summer.

Yet, according to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are also at the table and have already done groundwork on this move.

Taking to his YouTube channel at the start of the week, he said: “Tottenham want to do something very very important in terms of signing a top player in midfield. The name wanted by Tottenham is Sandro Tonali. Tottenham want to go for him. Roberto De Zerbi wants him. They are from the same city in Italy, Brescia, so there is a very good connection. They are very determined to sign him. He is keen on a move and is open to joining Tottenham, even without European football.”

Romano continued: “Arsenal have called for weeks. Manchester City in contact for weeks but now Tottenham are going all in.”

Valued at £85m, this is not going to be a cheap deal to complete.

Why Tonali would be better than Bouaddi

There may well be questions regarding Arsenal’s need for a midfielder this summer. A year ago, they signed Martin Zubimendi for big money and they also saw Myles Lewis-Skelly make a breakthrough towards the back end of 2025/26.

However, the fact of the matter is that both Declan Rice and Zubimendi simply played too much football during the title-winning campaign.

Both players played more mintues than any other outfield players in the squad and it negatively effected them during the back end of the season.

Zubimendi was usurpsed in the pecking order by Lewis-Skelly after a number of tired performances while Rice was receiving injections to manage back pain. As a result, whether it be Bouaddi, Tonali or another midfielder, they needer greater depth in that area of the pitch.

In Boauddi, they would get one of the most exciting young players on the planet right now. His performance against Brazil a few days ago was all the evidence you need.

Yet, in Tonali, they would be signing the complete product, a player who already knows his game inside and out, a player who crucially for Mikel Arteta, is Premier League proven.

If the Spaniard has a preference, it would always be to sign the option who has already done it in England. A big part of his recruitment strategy in recent years has been to sign players who are featuring in the Premier League.

Well, Tonali ticks that box and he also ticks the box of helping Arsenal to win now. Bouaddi would not be a bad signing. In fact, he would be one of the most exciting signings they could make all summer.

Newcastle’s Italian general, however, has been described by his agent, Beppe Riso, as “one of the best midfielders in the world” for good reason.

As far as the data is concerned, there is really not a lot to separate them. Standing at 6 foot 1, Bouaddi has a big frame and long legs that help him to get through a huge amount of defensive work.

He makes more tackles and wins more duels per 90 minutes. That said, Tonali is the more progressive player and as they look to find a more able partner to Rice than Zubimendi, that is what they need.

One of the biggest criticisms of the Spaniard last season was his inability to progress play. He registered just 3.03 progressive actions per 90 minutes, far behind Tonali and only fractionally behind Bouaddi.

Neither player would be a bad signing but perhaps the Italian suits more what Arteta and Co require right now.