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#WHUFC have now accepted #AFC payment structure on record £100m + £5m fee. 24yo England midfielder given permission to do medical & finalise personal terms @TheAthleticFC https://theathletic.com/4648727/2023/07/04/declan-rice-arsenal-medical/
It seems like they're going to be changing a decent amount if their starters in one window. With Xhaka and Partey potentially leaving presumably they need to sign another midfielder in addition to Rice?
Timber, Rice, Havertz minimum as new starters.
Lokonga's almost certainly gone too.
As it stands, our starting central midfield will be:
Havertz - Rice - Odegaard
With backups being:
Smith Rowe - Jorginho / Elneny - Vieira
Probably still need at least one other midfielder. I know Lokonga wasn't playing last season so good departure should be a net zero loss. But we now have CL and need more able bodies. And of our backups, Smith Rowe has been struggling with injuries, Elneny is past his prime and not competing for a starting place, and Vieira still seems to be struggling with the pace of the game every other match.
Can't say I really get Havertz playing deeper but Mikel obviously knows his stuff and sees potential there.
Its inevitably going to take a while for the midfield to gel though.
What happens to Partey then?
He wants to leave and I don't think Arsenal are going to stop him.
Juve and a Saudi Arabian club are the rumoured interested parties.