At A Glance:
- Arsenal look on course to win a trophy this season.
- Their frontline, however, still need strengthening in the summer.
- Owen Hargreaves has implored Arteta to try his luck with a former Real Madrid wonderkid.
Arsenal, despite being on course to win three trophies this season, still have plenty of work to do in the summer transfer market – and they have been implored to try and sign a former Real Madrid wonderkid.
Nine point clear at the top of the Premier League table and in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and the Champions League, the Gunners are one step closer to ending their silverware drought.
Irrespective of this campaign’s success, Arsenal will no doubt be looking to further strengthen their ranks at the end of the season.
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Last summer’s hefty spending means that at least one first-team name is expected to be on the chopping block to free up funds but incomings will be just as important to Mikel Arteta’s side.
Owen Hargreaves implores Arteta to try and sign Serie A star
For quite some time, it’s clear that Arsenal are solid from a defensive point of view and adding more defenders this summer would simply be overkill. Their frontline needs freshening up though.
Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid has been courted as their primary summer target after yet another brilliant campaign in Spain.
Whether the Argentine is attainable, however, is up in the air – and Owen Hargreaves has implored the Londoners to go in for Alvarez’s compatriot Nico Paz, who currently plays for Como 1907.
“There’s a young lad at Como, Nico Paz. There’s an option for him to go back to Real Madrid but if I’m Arsenal…” he claimed on TNT Sports, per The Metro.
“This kid – you’ll see him at the World Cup. Mikel Arteta will already know that this boy will be a star and if you don’t ask you don’t get. A player like that would suit Arsenal.”
Owen Hargreaves
Still just 21 years of age, Paz has become a vital cog of Cesc Fabregas’ project in Italy after signing from Real Madrid in the summer of 2024.
Los Blancos reportedly have the option to re-sign the youngster but Arsenal could do a lot worse if they were to launch a move. Chelsea are also believed to be in the offing for his signature.
Having established himself as one of the best players in Serie A since his move, the seven-cap Argentina international has plundered 11 goals and six assists across the current campaign.
Cesc Fabregas waxes poetic about Como’s Paz
Fabregas’ side are one of the biggest underdog stories in recent times – and Paz being the spearhead behind their rise is exactly why he’s been courted as the next big thing in Argentinian football.
“Nico [Paz] does incredible things. He is a footballer capable of pulling a trick out of his hat at any moment,” said Fabregas in November.
Recently, the former Arsenal midfielder added: “He sees the goal, he is not afraid. Nico enjoys playing, he can play different roles and he is a very complete player. I see very, very big potential in him.”
Likely to get a spot on the 2026 World Cup plane for Lionel Scaloni’s reigning champions, it could be the springboard he needs to land a summer move to one of Europe’s big dogs.
Nico Paz would rival Eberechi Eze for a starting spot at Arsenal
There is no guarantee that Arsenal higher-ups will take Hargreaves advice and launch a shock move for the young forward – but, in the event they do, it would raise question marks over the future of Martin Odegaard.
The captain may be sold in the summer, especially with Eberechi Eze now at the disposal of Arteta and his entourage.
Even Eze’s position in the squad could be at risk upon Paz’s prospective arrival as the left-footed sensation is easily first-team material.
| Statistics | Paz | Odegaard | Eze |
| Minutes | 2389 | 1078 | 1422 |
| Goals + Assists | 10 + 6 | 1 + 5 | 6 + 2 |
| Shots per 90 | 3.6 | 1 | 1.7 |
| Pass success rate (%) | 82.5 | 85.1 | 84.5 |
| Key passes per 90 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 |
| Dribbles per 90 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.8 |
| Overall rating | 7.55 | 6.72 | 6.81 |
Signing Paz will be difficult, though, given Real Madrid have the chance to see him return. Their buy-back clause is worth just £8 million – which would be considered an absolute steal!
