Arsenal: Moussa Diaby would be a perfect Saka rival

Seeking to hand their star youngster a viable alternative, this Frenchman could pose the perfect option.

Arsenal, despite all their progress this season, are seemingly far from content to simply stand still and hope that slow and steady improvement will make them champions. Mikel Arteta is already eyeing moves that would bolster his squad further…

What’s the latest on Moussa Diaby to Arsenal?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who spoke on the Here We Go Podcast about the Gunners’ interest in Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby

With the Frenchman enjoying a standout season in Germany, thus commanding a reported €80m (£70m) price. tag, it seems money will be no object even if it is to just acquire some competition for their stars.

The Italian journalist noted: “I think there is a concrete possibility that they will keep tracking the progress of Moussa Diaby of Bayer Leverkusen, he is a player they appreciate as a winger, but it’s not something advanced or close at this moment.”

Given Bukayo Saka penned a new contract earlier this week, it seems that this signing would put their star youngster in direct competition with the 23-year-old, gifting the north London outfit two of the most terrifying wide options in the Premier League.

Is That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who spoke on the Here We Go Podcast about the Gunners’ interest in Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby better than Bukayo Saka?

Given their respective campaigns, it is hard to pull the two apart in terms of quality. From the right flank, these goalscoring wingers have consistently terrorised defences with their pace, trickery and proficiency.

It is therefore no surprise to see Diaby handed a 7.17 average Sofascore rating for his year, in which he has notched 14 goals and assisted a further 11 in all competitions. His creativity is only further emphasised through his 1.8 key passes per game too.

Funnily enough, this is a goal and assists tally mirrored exactly by the 21-year-old, who was recently lauded by Pep Guardiola as someone who commanded extra men to quell his threat.

He claimed: “I decided [to play Akanji left-back] because Saka is an incredible threat and we need a guy who can sustain one against one, like Kyle and Martinelli because they are so good.

“We could jump more the players inside but at the sides we should control these two players because they are amazing.”

It seems this terror inflicted upon defenders and managers alike is one Diaby shares, as journalist Alex Barker described the forward as a “demon” just last year after one fine showing.

Whilst it might be a questionable move to spend so big on a player similar to Saka, the form of the England international of late outlines a worrying pattern that Arteta will want to fix.

Despite his impressive numbers for the season, the wide man is currently suffering a five-game barren run with regard to goal contributions, and has only registered a goal or an assist in one of his last nine league appearances. Such dependence on one man in a role makes burnout a certainty, and last campaign’s similarity only exacerbates this worry further.

Once again his final four league appearances only merited a sole assist, coming in their dead rubber final-day drubbing of Everton when top four had already slipped out of their grasp.

It is clear that the youngster suffers greatly from fatigue late in the season, and given he has made 43 and 47 appearances in all competitions in his last two respectively, this is no surprise.

The addition of Diaby, whilst expensive, would finally offer a fine rival for the position to give Saka a break. Fortunately, he also boasts the versatility to shine wherever he is deployed, meaning he would come in as far from just a backup.