The £120m star is ready to turn down Spurs to sign for Arsenal

As England begin their World Cup campaign on Wednesday night, they do so with Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Noni Madueke in the starting XI. They did not have Bukayo Saka.

For Saka and Rice, they were dealing with injury problems. The former has an Achilles problem which is being carefully managed by Thomas Tuchel and Co while the latter flew to America for back injections to manage the problem in the final weeks of the season.

The hope will be that for the Gunners, they will come through the competition unscathed and ready for another campaign to challenge for the big prizes at club level.

What would undoubtedly help Rice is more depth and quality in the midfield. With Mikel Merino injured, Christian Norgaard ignored and Myles Lewis-Skelly not given minutes until the last month of the season, it meant that the arrival of the club record had to play almost every minute possible.

Thankfully, the Gunners are looking to rectify their lack of focus in midfield.

The big-money midfielder is eyeing a move for Arsenal

While Arsenal’s top priority this summer is to sign a new elite winger, with Morgan Rogers said to be keen to sign at the Emirates this summer, they are also stepping up their plans to sign a midfielder or two.

Morocco’s World Cup star Ayyoub Bouaddi has been linked with a move for Roma midfielder Manu Kone.

There has also been talk of a big move for West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes, although the feeling is that he may join Manchester United instead.

Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali is also an option for the Gunners but that may not be so easy.

Back in the winter, talks were held over a move for Tonali and while Arsenal have not ended up pursuing him seriously, he is a player of interest once again.

Reports in recent days have revealed that the Italian is now Tottenham Hotspur’s leading targets with contract terms agreed ahead of a potential move.

That being said, according to new reports from Sports Boom, it is not Spurs that the player wants. Indeed, it is reported that if both Tottenham and Arsenal reach an agreement with Newcastle to sign him, he will choose the Gunners.

Tonali is said to have a lot of respect for Roberto De Zerbi but can’t stop thinking about Arsenal.

The problem is that it could take a club-record fee to get him out of St James’ Park. The Toon are quoting him at the same rate as Elliot Anderson at £120m.

Speaking of Anderson, Tonali could be Arsenal’s version.

How does Tonali compare to Elliot Anderson

The hot topic in football right now is Mr Anderson. Set to play alongside Rice at the Three Lions in America this summer, it certainly won’t be long before he hits the road.

Manchester United and Manchester City are both keen on the midfielder but he looks set to move to the Etihad providing a fee can be agreed between the two clubs.

Arsenal have also reportedly shown an interest in the midfielder but have yet to make official plans. It is clear that they respect him but by signing Tonali, they can sign their response to this foreigner from England.

One of the biggest problems for the Gunners last season was their lack of quality in midfield. Both Martin Zubimendi and Rice have played the highest volume of minutes of any player outside of Arsenal. Mikel Arteta has finally started to replace Lewis-Skelly in that role but at the age of 19, it’s probably unwise to suggest he can play a full 38-game season in that role.

Arteta needs more options and in Tonali, he will be able to find “one of the best midfielders in the world” in the words of his agent Beppe Riso.

So, what makes the Newcastle star so special?

Analyzing the data, it’s pretty clear why Anderson is as highly regarded as he is. Tonali outperforms in every metric we’ve given you.

However, even though the England man wins the better duel and makes a lot of turnovers, there are similarities elsewhere, especially in his ability to play, create chances and keep things going in the middle of the park.

Both players are busy with them. They are running in the middle of the field preparing the game, breaking it up and moving it in a fast way.

You should also consider the teams the two players were playing for. Anderson was playing against a relegation-threatened Forest team who were always at the back. His defensive numbers will continue to rise as a result. Remembering that, actually brings him closer to Tonali.

Put Anderson in that City team and his numbers, maybe the balls available on the sidelines, would be very high for Tonali.

Make no mistake about it, Arsenal should not pay £120m for Tonali, even if they want to join him. However, if they can get a value of less than £100m and more in the £80m-£90m mark, you can understand the investment a bit more.