LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 06: Mason Mount of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC at Stamford Bridge on November 06, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
3 alternatives to Mason Mount for Arsenal
by Adam Keys
3. Eberechi Eze
Eberechi Eze had a mixed season last year after returning from his injury, but his ten goals and four assists have earned him a call-up to the England squad for the first time and helped Palace remain in the Premier League.
🔴⚪ “My dream was to play for Arsenal.” – Eberechi Eze pic.twitter.com/ZzUqvsent4
— Olt Sports (@oltsport_) May 25, 2023
Eze turns 25 next month and has taken to the left-eight position with ease, with his incredible first touch, carrying and shooting ability making him a real outlet for Palace this season.
With his technical qualities, there is no doubt he would thrive in tight spaces for Arsenal, and his cushioned touch makes him an option to receive in any situation, and he has a supreme calmness that only top players have.
The worry with him is the defensive side of the game. While he is good, he does not have the positional understanding of Granit Xhaka, which could lead to Arsenal developing one side of the game, but dropping off on the other.
All three would be options for Arsenal to consider, but don’t rule out several twists and turns on the Mason Mount deal. United still have ownership issues, and that could complicate any deal.
Mount would have been an excellent signing, there are other options on the market, and it’s likely the club won’t sanction anything big until they know where they stand with <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/14/declan-rice-arsenal/">Declan Rice</a>.</p>
<h2><strong><em>3 alternatives to Mason Mount for Arsenal</em></strong></h2>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">🗣️| Ally McCoist; on Arsenal and the upcoming transfer window: “Gundogan has been tremendous… Without a doubt, if you get him on a free and Declan Rice, that would be beyond your wildest dreams.</p>
<p>“If you’re going to compete on all fronts – Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham will… <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://t.co/7yji3yuhER">pic.twitter.com/7yji3yuhER
<p>— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://twitter.com/ArsenalBuzzCom/status/1661698298967732224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 25, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<h2>1. Ilkay Gundogan</h2>
<p>Ilkay Gundogan is one of Man City, and the Premier League’s most decorated players, and has just captained his side to a fifth title in six years. The midfielder could yet finish the season with a treble, also.</p>
<p>The German international has become arguably the best left-eight in the world during his time in Manchester and is very much on the market this summer with his contract expiring this summer.</p>
<p>If Arsenal were to sign Gundogan, he will instantly raise the quality, bring a winning mentality in and replace the experience left by <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/16/will-granit-xhaka-remembered-arsenal/">Granit Xhaka</a>, but what he won’t offer is a long-term solution or a player who can play every game.</p>
<p>Despite managing almost 50 games a season for City, Gundogan’s minutes are very carefully managed, and he would have to be heavily rotated, so this signing would have to be accompanied by one other.</p>
<p><em>Continued to next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 James Maddison </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-134711" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1764,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1488550456-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1764" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1488550456-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1488550456-768x529.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1488550456-1536x1058.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1488550456-2048x1411.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"></p>
<h2><strong>2. James Maddison</strong></h2>
<p>In 2021, Mikel Arteta showed a lot of interest in James Maddison, seeing him as an alternative to Martin Odegaard, but the Arsenal captain was always his first choice.</p>
<p>Since then, Maddison, like Odegaard, has been used as an eight rather than a number 10 and has predominantly played on the left of a midfield three, making him a perfect fit for the role at Arsenal.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">🚨 Leicester City midfielder on Arsenal’s summer radar.[<a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://twitter.com/johncrossmirror?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@johncrossmirror]
<p>🗣️ James Maddison is another midfielder on Arsenal’s radar this summer, but Emile Smith Rowe may leave the club, according to a report.</p>
<p>🗣️ The Mirror claim that in terms of outgoings, Emile Smith Rowe may… <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://t.co/aULFcNtpAg">pic.twitter.com/aULFcNtpAg
<p>— Arsenal Reports (@arsreports) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://twitter.com/arsreports/status/1661453970034810880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 24, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>With Leicester potentially going down, he will be on the market, and his signing would add goals and creativity to the Arsenal team, as shown by his ten goals and nine assists for a struggling team this season. Just imagine him with Martinelli, Saka, Odegaard and Jesus…</p>
<p>Maddison also has extremely underappreciated defensive qualities, and works harder than people think, winning <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://www.sofascore.com/player/james-maddison/356398">5.8 ground duels</a> per game, compared to Granit Xhaka’s <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://www.sofascore.com/player/granit-xhaka/117777">2.4. However, Leicester spend a lot more time defending than Arsenal.</p>
<p><em>Continued to next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 Eberechi Eze </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-134712" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1707,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1254437448-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1254437448-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1254437448-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1254437448-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1254437448-2048x1366.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"></p>
<h2><strong>3. Eberechi Eze</strong></h2>
<p>Eberechi Eze had a mixed season last year after returning from his injury, but his ten goals and four assists have earned him a call-up to the England squad for the first time and helped Palace remain in the Premier League.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">🔴⚪ “My dream was to play for Arsenal.” – Eberechi Eze <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://t.co/ZzUqvsent4">pic.twitter.com/ZzUqvsent4
<p>— Olt Sports (@oltsport_) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://twitter.com/oltsport_/status/1661546826258956292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 25, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/25/3-alternatives-mason-mount-arsenal/3/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Eze turns 25 next month and has taken to the left-eight position with ease, with his incredible first touch, carrying and shooting ability making him a real outlet for Palace this season.</p>
<p>With his technical qualities, there is no doubt he would thrive in tight spaces for Arsenal, and his cushioned touch makes him an option to receive in any situation, and he has a supreme calmness that only top players have.</p>
<p>The worry with him is the defensive side of the game. While he is good, he does not have the positional understanding of Granit Xhaka, which could lead to Arsenal developing one side of the game, but dropping off on the other.</p>
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<p>All three would be options for Arsenal to consider, but don’t rule out several twists and turns on the Mason Mount deal. United still have ownership issues, and that could complicate any deal.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
