Why the signing of Roma's Manu Kone can strengthen Arsenal's offering even further

[p]For those players at the World Cup, it's a fair bet that the wheels have already been oiled for any potential transfer, for the simple reason that focus has to remain on getting one's country through to the latter stages.[/p][h2]Manu Kone has agreed personal terms with Arsenal[/h2][p]It's clearly with that in mind that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/as-roma/zVqqL0ma/"]Roma[/a]'s brilliant midfielder, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kone-kouadio/YDaoYZBS/"]Manu Kone[/a], has reportedly agreed personal terms with Premier League winners, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a].[/p][p]Italian media have reported that the Gunners do have a full agreement with the French player, though he hasn't yet put pen to paper, as it appears he hopes that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psg/CjhkPw0k/"]Paris Saint-Germain[/a] will come calling.[/p][embed guid="4f7df251-1670-4147-88ed-1a5e427731f6" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2066069630251315283" social-type="twitter" /][p]Either way, the Giallorossi seem keen to offload him as the €50m/£38m they would receive in return will go a long way to seeing Gian Piero Gasperini being able to strengthen his squad.[/p][p]It's easy to understand why [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/arteta-mikel/lAbHYaQM/"]Mikel Arteta[/a] is keen to bring the 25-year-old to North London, too.[/p][h2]Declan Rice unleashed?[/h2][p]Though his 476 forward passes in all competitions last season were only Roma's sixth-best output, the fact that he completed 407 of them gave Kone the second-best success rate in the entire squad - 85.5%.[/p][p]That figure rises to an incredible 90.44% when taking total passes into account, and in a team that is often imperious in terms of their passing game, Arsenal's interest is therefore justified.[/p][image alt="Manu Kone touch map - Serie A 2025/26" id="946ea086-e396-410b-ba8a-1fa0d9dfbdb8" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="0497fa23-6723-4651-a7f7-ff4a0c00c742" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p]With [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rice-declan/zkQ8Cm6n/"]Declan Rice[/a] often curtailed from making those lung-bursting runs at the heart of the opposition defence, to have a player like Kone stationed in front of the defence, giving the England man licence to roam, would be manna from heaven.[/p][p]Aside from his passing range, the Frenchman's physicality and ability to mix it up in midfield mark him out as a special talent indeed.[/p][h2]Kone's ball-carrying capabilities[/h2][p]Across the 2025/26 campaign for Roma, he won back possession on 141 separate occasions and also posted an impressive 55.77% tackle success.[/p][p]Only three players attempted more than his 347 one-on-one duels, though his 48.7% success in this regard could ideally do with a positive uplift.[/p][image alt="Manu Kone's attacking carries - Serie A 2025/26" id="793510c4-c9ed-403f-b271-6368b85a54d0" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="0e6c5ca0-6c86-4fe9-8fe4-628f589f8bff" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p]Another area where he excels is with regard to his ball-carrying capabilities.[/p][p]Once into his stride, his sheer physical presence makes it difficult for opponents to bully him off the ball, and his 68 total take-ons are only bettered by two of his colleagues, whilst [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/soule-matias/fXK87Cpf/"]Matias Soule[/a] is the one player to complete more than Kone's 35.[/p][p]Soule is also one of just five Roma stars to have made more than the Frenchman's 77 10+ progressive carries per game, the definition of a progressive carry being when a player moves forward with the ball at least 10 yards.[/p][h2]Starting spot or squad place?[/h2][p]Though it's taken Arteta a while to ensure his imprint is all over the current Arsenal squad, he's certainly improved almost every player under his tutelage, so the expectation would be that Kone will also find an extra gear or two if he pitches up at the Emirates Stadium.[/p][p]What's interesting to see is who will make way for the Frenchman, or whether he might be expected to earn his place in the squad rather than being handed a starting spot from the get-go.[/p][image alt="Manu Kone radar graphic - Serie A 2025/26" id="cbdfaabd-26f9-46f4-88d7-7dbe4964d101" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="5fb25402-f467-418b-a244-ec7f116efdd0" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lewis-skelly-myles/bDeyKrHT/"]Myles Lewis-Skelly[/a] has played his way back into the left side of the pair stationed in front of Arsenal's back four, whilst captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/odegaard-martin/ID32TGhp/"]Martin Odegaard[/a], after what was arguably his worst season in a red shirt, might be looking over his shoulder given that Kone can operate in a hybrid role that would see him in behind the main striker if required.[/p][h2]Like-for-like players in all positions[/h2][p]The signing also raises the question as to whether, in fact, Arteta is looking to 'do a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]Man City[/a],' and have like-for-like players in all positions, in order that when it comes to rotation, Arsenal lose nothing in terms of squad excellence.[/p][embed guid="44d84d90-9ce1-4c04-96d3-5b27f0ee60c0" url="https://x.com/SerieA/status/1868362946214273123" social-type="twitter" /][p]Ultimately, the player will have the final say on where he wants to spend the next few years of his career, and Arsenal have done all they can at this point by getting Kone to agree to personal terms with them.[/p][p]If they are able to get a deal over the line, along with one or two others, before the start of the 2026/27 campaign, the North Londoners are going to take some stopping again next season.[/p][infobox id="8a8311c3-81b3-440e-8b49-36091db073d1" /]