He’s better than Eze: Arsenal could see £80m bid accepted for England star

Arsenal and Mikel Arteta first engaged in a relationship some 15 years ago. Now, the Spaniard has finally lifted the Premier League, years after starring in the centre and then taking the reins from Unai Emery in the dugout.

Arteta has turned this club into a superpower, and, to borrow a phrase from Liverpool after their first Premier League title, “back on our perch“.

But Liverpool and Manchester City are on longer the pre-eminent outfits on English shores. Instead, the Gunners have finally shaken their ‘nearly-men’ label and ended 22 years of drought.

It’s been quite a story, and it’s far from over. Arteta has created something special, but he’s always looking to improve, having set his sights on a new attacking midfielder.

Premier League club willing to sell to Arsenal

Arsenal have a brilliant, title-winning team, but there are still ways to improve, namely, in attack.

Viktor Gyokeres has been a prolific frontman, but his overall play leaves a lot to be desired. Likewise, Eberechi Eze has made a significant contribution, but he’s not the cream of the crop.

Arsenal are now in a position from which they can target the very best in the business, and they have set their sights on an attacking midfielder who could fix a number of issues, such as they are.

According to transfer reporter Ben Jacobs, Arsenal have joined Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain in the race for Morgan Rogers, who Aston Villa would consider selling for an £80m fee.

Rogers, 23, has established himself as one of the sharpest attacking midfielders in the Premier League, and while that’s a pretty penny, he has proven his ability on the biggest stages, and would stand a rather good chance of becoming a mainstay under Arteta’s wing.

Those close to the player understand suitors will not be blocked off by Emery and his side, leaving the door ajar for Arsenal to strike a sensational deal at the start of the summer transfer window.

Why Rogers would be an Eze upgrade at Arsenal

If Arsenal manage to crank their offensive quality up a notch or two this summer, they could well be unstoppable next season. And by signing Rogers, those ambitions might just be realised.

Hailed as a “humble superstar” by pundit Jamie Redknapp, Rogers has been instrumental in Aston Villa’s rise over the past several years, scoring 28 goals and supplying 28 assists across all competitions since the start of last season.

Though Eze has been fantastic for the Gunners, going from strength to strength after a slow start, he is not as naturally prolific as his compatriot, who will fancy his chances of starting over him for Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions at the World Cup this summer.

Rogers is just so hard to contain. A potent goalscoring threat and natural eye for creative passes is underpinned by a steely physicality that has allowed him to grow into one of Europe’s finest and most sought-after attacking midfielders.

It’s a myth, peddled by jealous rivals, that Arsenal lack in attacking quality. They are the second-highest scorers in the English top flight this season, second in the xG (expected goals) charts too.

But they have hit higher beats in the past, no doubt about that. This is a fine illustration of Arteta’s project, and how it has adapted and evolved over time.

Now that the once insurmountable has been cleared, Arteta can let the leash off somewhat, guiding Arsenal even further into the ascendancy and back toward the football that led Barcelona to shortlist the Basque-born manager back in 2022, big admirers of his stylish playing style.

By signing Rogers, Arsenal will take a giant step toward that playing field. We’ve seen it before, and now we’ve seen a Premier League title too.

It’s fair to say it’s all coming together for the Emirates side.