Arsenal don’t need Curtis Jones, £86m midfielder would be a much better investment

Over the past 24 hours Arsenal have been increasingly linked with interest in Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, who has made a ton of progress of late.

Mikel Arteta is clearly not finished with his midfield rebuild, hence the constant links to Douglas Luiz and others.

Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

And with Arsenal still struggling to nail down their number eight position, Curtis Jones would seem a sensible choice.

Jones has long been considered to have a high ceiling, a midfielder with all the technical attributes needed to excel at Arsenal.

However, signing 22-year-old Jones from a Premier League rival would either prove impossible or incredibly expensive.

Jones is now in the best position he’s ever been in to nail down a start under Klopp, and may not want to move either.

And with that in mind, and Arsenal having much more pressing needs at present, a move for Benfica’s Joao Neves would be much better advised.

MORE ARSENAL STORIES

The 19-year-old is Europe’s next big midfield prospect, a player who could already cost as much as £86m.

However, that would be money much better spent.

Joao Neves is the midfielder Arsenal need, not Curtis Jones

Although Arsenal do have an issue in the position vacated by Granit Xhaka, they don’t need to sign a new number eight.

Declan Rice seemed envisioned for that exact role, something that had to change when Thomas Partey suffered a long-term injury.

Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

I doubt Mikel Arteta imagined Kai Havertz playing every game as the left-sided midfielder, a player who is a natural shadow striker.

If Arsenal signed a midfielder like Neves, the middle three would be sorted for years to come, whereas Jones would merely paper over the cracks.

In an ideal world Arteta would be able to sign both, but that’s not the case.

Arsenal were very interested in signing Ilkay Gundogan in the summer, and Benfica’s Joao Neves looks to be his successorIf Arteta was able to secure Curtis Jones from Liverpool, it would of course be a huge coup, however, that money can be better spent.

It would be a huge opportunity missed if Arsenal didn’t make any attempt to sign Neves, a player who will otherwise end up at a Barcelona or a Manchester City.

It’s a move for the summer, but one that should be a priority.

Of course, if Arsenal do want to pursue any business in January, they do have a £27m player they could swiftly move on.