Tosin Adarabioyo to Arsenal: Is it a good potential move? Would he start? What does he offer? | OneFootball

Tosin Adarabioyo has recently emerged as a transfer target for Premier League giants Arsenal ahead of the 2021/22 season, according to The Daily Mail.

The defender has been with Fulham since 2020, and has gone on to catch the eye with a number of impressive performances with the Cottagers.

He made 34 appearances for Scott Parker’s side last season, although his efforts weren’t quite enough as Fulham were relegated back into the Championship after just one year in the top flight.

The Daily Mail have also reported that Adarabioyo can leave Fulham this summer for a fee of £10million after their relegation from the Premier League was confirmed, which is likely to heighten interest in his services ahead of the new league campaign.

We take a look at some of the potential questions that might be surrounding Arsenal’s interest in signing Adarabioyo this summer.

Is it a good potential move?

This could turn out to be a smart bit of business by the Gunners, as Adarabioyo has a point to prove in the Premier League at the moment.

It wouldn’t be fair to judge him completely on performances for Fulham last season, as they were only in the top flight for one year. But he was one of the few players to catch the eye with some strong performances in this year’s campaign, and that seemingly hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Arsenal are a club with a sizeable stature in world football, and you would imagine that Adarabioyo will be tempted by a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer.

For a fee of just £10million, it could turn out to be a shrewd signing by the Gunners, especially if the defender can hit the ground running with them next season, providing an agreement is reached.

Would he start?

It seems hard to believe that he’d be a regular starter straight away.

Adarabioyo has impressed in his first full season in the Premier League whilst with Fulham, and I’m not surprised to hear that a club in the top flight are keen on signing him after the Cottagers’ relegation this term.

But Arsenal already have some strong options available to them in defence, and it seems unlikely that he’d be able to force his way into the starting XI ahead of the likes of Gabriel and Rob Holding.

However, at the age of 23, he could be the ideal long-term replacement for either of them in future seasons.

Are these facts about Fulham's most expensive ever signings true or false?

What does he offer?

Adarabioyo is a player that can operate in the middle of a defensive four, or in a defensive three if required.

That versatility could make him a smart addition for Arsenal in the near future, as it’ll give them depth in different areas of Mikel Arteta’s team.

Adarabioyo has shown that he can perform to a high standard in the Premier League as well with Fulham in the 2020/21 season, so there won’t be too many concerns as to whether he’d be good enough to play in the top flight.

He offers a calm head when in possession as well, with the defender having a pass accuracy of 88.7% from his 2552 attempted passes in all competitions this term.