Arsenal’s astonishing form to this point in the 2021/2022 season has caused Arsenal fans to salivate on the possible transfers that could take us closer to the likes of City, Liverpool, and Chelsea. When going through our current starting XI going into next season, the two glaring improvements we need to make is at the striker position which I have wrote numerous blogs on potential replacements but also on the Thomas Partey partner in the center of the pitch. That role is filled with Granit Xhaka currently with Sambi-Lokanga as the immediate replacement coming off the bench. Granit Xhaka has been fine this season and has brought a stability that comes with someone that has the experience he does however when you play with Xhaka, you must deal with Xhaka tax. The Xhaka tax comes in many shapes and sizes, most of it being with untimely red cards and decisions that have cost us countless points over the years.
With all that being said, Thomas Partey has been exceptional for us as of late and will need an improved partner in midfield to take us closer to where we want to be in the Premier League table. My number 1 target to fill that role and to replace Xhaka would be in the shape of a 5 ft. 9in. 24-year-old Portuguese right-footed CM who plays for Lille ( I am aware he had to come out due to a muscle strain against Saint-Etienne yesterday) (I am also aware that Milan and Maldini have claimed his services after this season but I am going to still write his blog regardless in hopes Edu can work his magic). Renato Sanches is everything I love in a modern day “8”. A player who is dynamic, press-resistant, athletic, but also possesses the ability to combine with teammates while covering every blade of grass on the pitch. I don’t feel like I am asking for much haha. Renato covers all those requirements while still very young which matches up with the young core Arsenal are trying to build. Even though he hasn’t reached his full potential that we all projected after the 2016 Euros with Bayern signing him up before the Euros that year, his performances with Portugal at the past Euros and Lille have brought back all the hype. Let me go into what Arsenal but probably Milan can expect to see from Renato Sanches coming into next season.
PRESS RESISTANT: I went into this same characteristic in the Thomas Partey blog but I am just obsessed with this ability. Being able to dribble or pass out of the press in the midfield areas is such an underrated characteristic that gives teams a massive advantage if able to find players who can do it. Renato Sanches does this for fun, dribbling himself out of pressure, bouncing off of defenders, using his athleticism to get past plffayers is something Arsenal can use from midfield. Martin Ødegaard isn’t as dynamic in those areas and Sambi hasn’t shown that ability in an Arsenal shirt yet. Having a player who can get the offense started from a deep midfield position from someone that is not Thomas Partey will be crucial going into next season as smart teams next season will man mark Thomas Partey out of games when we are in possession.
This is not a shot at Xhaka at all, but this is just not in his locker. With Thomas Partey, our deepest midfielder in the coming future, having a player that can be more dynamic in these situations is next level of skill that Arsenal need from our midfield that we need to compete with the big boys in England.
GOAL-SCORING THREAT – The “8” in the modern game of football can be called a “box to box” midfielder for those who are not aware of the lingo. Something circa Aaron Ramsey in the 13/14 season is something that Arsenal have not been able to replicate since. A midfielder who can make a tackle in our own box but also can get up the pitch to play a 1-2 with our striker to score a goal in the same passage of play is orgasmic. In the recent weeks, you can see how Xhaka has taken the role of an advanced midfielder instead of a left center back position in possession that Arteta assigned him the past few seasons. This move can be mostly attributed to the uptick in Thomas Partey’s role as our deepest midfielder which negated the need for Xhaka to play deep for us in midfield. To keep Xhaka useful in our starting XI, Mikel has moved him up in an attacking midfield position when Ødegaard takes up the half spaces on right or left flanks. This stability in our positioning has helped us greatly but imagine if we had a more natural fit in that role.
Like I said, nothing against Xhaka but this is just not his game, but we put Renato in those positions and Kent gets hyped. Renato has proven to be able to combine with teammates to create goal scoring opportunities which will inevitably open up space for our other attacking players such as Saka, Ødegaard and Smith Rowe. Xhaka is not that type of player in a simple terms. He doesn’t have the athleticism or mobility to function in those dangerous areas unfortunately which just screams out for a player like Renato to take up those spaces.
Renato’s ability to find open spaces in the attacking third and to drive himself forward to score goals provides a newer threat from the midfield that all teams would have to be aware of when playing against us.
POSITIONAL FLEXIBILITY – As a disciple of the Pep school of management, positional flexibility is a key characteristic that Arteta looks for in all his attacking and midfield players. That drives Arteta placing Xhaka as a left center back in prior seasons, then now as an advanced midfielder, Ødegaard taking the half spaces on the flanks etc. With Renato Sanches, Arteta has the ability to play in a 4-2-3-1 with Renato and Thomas as the midfield pivots behind the 3 Saka-Ødegaard-ESR/Martinelli. Also if Mikel wants a 4-2-3-1 with more stability, he can play Thomas and Xhaka in the pivot with Renato being able to play the RW/RM position or the more natural 10 if need be. If Arteta wants to play 4-3-3-, for games where we need stability, Mikel can play a midfield 3 of Thomas, Xhaka and Renato with Renato playing the highest up, more of a “10”. Or with Renato in the lineup, Mikel can play a 4-2-3-1 in possession and turn into a 4-3-3 defensively depending on the opposition. Even though they are aesthetically different players, the way Pep uses Bernardo Silva in his City’s side of recent years is one where I can imagine Mikel using Renato. The flexibility of using him as a center midfielder in some games and then moving him up on the flanks in others depending on the opposition would be a nice caveat to bring into next season.
CONCLUSION – This move for Renato Sanches makes too much sense in the $20M-$30m range for a player with Renato’s upside. Especially for a club like Lille who went all out for a Ligue 1 title, they are a club that is keen to sell when the price is right so there is no excuse for Arsenal not to be in on a player with Renato’s skillset. There are injury issues which stunted his growth during his time at Bayern which also was filled with inconsistencies in his form as well. One can say the standard that he set for himself at such a young age after the 2016 Euros with an immediate move to Bayern Munich that next season is almost impossible for a teen to live up to, let alone any player. All that being said, Renato’s resurgence at this past Euro’s was also the breakthrough that I think he needed to revitalize his career. Fernando Santos bringing him into their midfield changed their outlook on the tournament. They were so dire from the midfield with Santos going with a Danilo Pereira/William Carvalho pivot to start but realizing Renato’s drive and creativity from the midfield gave the Portugal team the spark that was missing. Renato by no means is a hidden gem, which means there will be countless teams across Europe looking for his services this summer. If Arteta and Edu have the drive to compete with Europe’s best, they need to get one of Europe’s best young center midfielders for this upcoming season.
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