The signature of Declan Rice in 2023 was a landmark moment for Arsenal. The Gunners had secured one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, shelling out a club-record £105m to prise him away from West Ham.
What a signing he’s been. Rice has elevated his status as England’s finest to one of Europe’s finest. He’s now in the conversation to win the Ballon d’Or and should Mikel Arteta’s men secure multiple pieces of silverware in 2025/26, he could well emerge as a frontrunner.
The North Londoners currently top the Premier League and also finished top of the Champions League heading into the knock-out stages. Rice has been pivotal to that and he has only grown into his role at Arsenal since signing. Who could forget those two free-kicks against Real Madrid last term? He has been the very definition of elite.
Yet, he has played an awful lot of minutes, and after the injury to Mikel Merino, another midfielder was looked at. Sandro Tonali was that man.
Arsenal looking to sign Sandro Tonali alternative
Reports emerged early on deadline day that Arsenal had held talks to sign Tonali from Newcastle. This one came out of nowhere and although the rumours were quashed shortly after, Fabrizio Romano has now revealed that the league leaders do hold an interest in the Italian.
The trouble is that Eddie Howe’s midfield maestro could cost a whopping £100m, money that Arsenal simply don’t need to spend on their midfield considering they already have Rice and Martin Zubimendi.
Christian Norgaard signed last summer alongside Zubimendi but it would be a surprise if his spell at the Emirates Stadium lasted longer than a single season. As a result, future-proofing the middle of the park makes a lot of sense.
According to reports, that’s precisely what they expect to do. Writing for Football.London earlier this week, journalist Ryan Taylor revealed that Arsenal are showing interest in signing Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Taylor reports that ‘loose talks’ have already begun with the player’s camp as they start working on the conditions of a possible deal for the summer.
While no price tag is mentioned, he has been valued at around £52m by other sources.
Why Bouaddi would be a better signing than Tonali for Arsenal
Don’t get us wrong, signing Tonali would be a seriously impressive capture by Arsenal. After all, there are reasons that Paul Scholes once outlined that Tonali is “better than Rice”.
Whether or not you agree with the Manchester United midfielder is another matter, but it rubberstamps the quality that the Italy international possesses. However, at a price tag that could soar towards Arsenal’s club record fee, it doesn’t make a great deal of sense.
Instead, for half the price, they could bring in Bouaddi who looks like an elite talent in the making, if he isn’t already one.
Hailed as a player who could “go on to be £100m midfielder” by Como scout and analyst Ben Mattinson, the little French superstar has been making waves in Ligue 1 at the tender age of 18.
As it happens, Bouaddi only turned 18 this season so to see that he’s already started 16 out of 18 matches he’s been available for in the French top-flight this term is remarkable.
What’s all the fuss about, then? Well, compared to Frenkie de Jong and Tijjani Reijnders by the aforementioned Mattinson, the teenager is simply oozing with class.
He has an elite level of press resistance, akin to someone like Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace in the Premier League, while he reads the game exceptionally well and passes with such precision and quality.
The numbers help back up those statements. Compared to positionally similar players in Ligue 1 this campaign, the youngster ranks in the top 12% of midfielders for successful dribbles per 90 minutes, as well as sitting in the top 25% for duels won, the best 22% for his aerial duel success and the top 17% for touches in the opposition box.
|
Bouaddi vs Tonali (2026/26) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat (per 90 mins) |
Bouaddi |
Tonali |
|
Shots |
0.5 |
0.6 |
|
Chances created |
1.1 |
1.0 |
|
Pass accuracy |
84.21% |
85.34% |
|
Long pass accuracy |
70.83% |
51.06% |
|
Take-ons completed |
1.5 |
1.0 |
|
Aerial duels won |
1.0 |
0.6 |
|
Ground duels won |
4.6 |
3.7 |
|
Duels won |
5.6 |
4.2 |
|
Stats supplied by Squawka/Opta. |
||
Like Rice, this is a player who is all-action. He’s capable of contributing effectively in the final third, excellent at passing between the lines and he’s physical too.
While he is yet to score in Ligue 1 this term, Bouaddi is still young and the initial signs are highly impressive. Tonali would be a dream signing for the summer but at a snip of the price, this talented young Frenchman would be the better move.
As Mattinson puts it, he has the potential to be worth just as much as the Italian in a few years. This would be a very exciting deal for the Gunners.
Rice loves him: Arsenal have already signed their own version of Tonali
Arsenal were rumoured with signing Sandro Tonali on transfer deadline day.
