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According to reports, Arsenal have added Feyenoord midfielder Orkun Kokcu to their transfer target list this summer…
THE LOWDOWN: MIDFIELDER PURSUIT
Arsenal and Mikel Arteta’s desire to acquire a new midfielder this summer is no secret, as the Spanish coach looks to bolster his current squad with more quality for next season.
The Gunners have been reportedly interested in the likes of Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Ruben Neves in recent weeks who are believed to be at the top of Arteta’s list of targets.
Arsenal are also linked with Juventus midfielder Arthur, who could depart from the Allianz Stadium in the summer. They tried and failed to sign the Brazilian in January and may rekindle their interest in him.
Furthermore, another exciting name has now been revealed as one of their summer targets.
THE LATEST: TARGET LIST
According to Italy-based Turkish transfer journalist, Ekrem Konur, the Gunners have added the Feyenoord academy graduate Kokcu to their list of targets to pursue.
There have been reportedly no offers for the talented midfielder but the north London outfit are sure to be having a keen eye on him.
Additionally, according to Goal, Arsenal are looking for a new midfielder of his profile, but they face competition from UEFA Conference League champions AS Roma for the 21-year-old Turkish international’s signature.
THE VERDICT: GREAT ADDITION
At just 21 years of age, Kokcu has already established himself as a key part of Feyernoord’s first team, making an impressive 51 appearances across all competitions this season.
Predominantly deployed this season as a deep-lying central midfielder, he has recorded nine goals and nine assists to his name, with 16 of those 18 goal involvements coming in the Dutch Eredivisie as the club finished third in the table.
The Haarlem-born ace also proved a pivotal figure in the Rotterdam club’s impressive route to the UEFA Conference League final, falling at the last hurdle to Jose Mourinho’s Roma.
He figured 12 times in the inaugural European competition scoring twice, as Arne Slot’s men exceeded expectations with some stunning and exciting performances in their route to the final.
The £15.3m-rated playmaker is a tremendous ball-player and has a knack for finding room in the tightest of defences and even when under immediate pressure, his fine touch and quick movement allow him to evade defenders and carve out a chance with his excellent passing – a trait Mikel Arteta will surely be tantalized by.
In the Dutch top-flight, the 21-year-old has a phenomenal SofaScore rating of 7.60, becoming Feyenoord’s highest-ranked player in the team and the third-highest ranked player in the Eredivisie.
Also, as well as finishing the campaign with seven goals and nine assists in 32 starts, the Turkish pass-master has also created ten big chances for his teammates, averaged an outstanding 3.2 key passes per game, recorded a dribble success rate of 71% and also averaged 1.3 tackles per game highlighting his tremendous all-round abilities in the middle of the park.
Arteta will certainly need more drive, creativity and variation in his attacking play next season so acquiring the stunning qualities of Kokcu could well turn out to be a great addition for the Gunners.
AND in other news, Arsenal make 27-goal “mercurial” star a top target this summer, a statement signing – opinion…
