Arsenal have made the signing of James Maddison their top priority right now but according to Darren Bent, the Gunners should not be wasting their energy on the Leicester City playmaker.
The Gunners have just seen a bid rejected but according to the latest rumours, the North London side will be going back with a new and improved offer for the 24-year-old. But Bent believes Arsenal’s first-team squad have other areas which need patching up before the new season kicks off.
“[Maddison] is a fantastic player,” the pundit told talkSPORT.
“I’d love to see him in an Arsenal shirt, but I believe there’s other positions that are probably more important than maybe getting that playmaker,”
“We’ve just seen [Emile] Smith Rowe, who was brilliant last season, signing a new contract. “We’ve still got [Bukayo] Saka there too.
“Of course you want good players in, and Madison is a very good player, but maybe another central midfielder?
“Maybe a right-back? A right-back would be important.”
Should Arsenal stop chasing James Maddison?
The biggest target for Arsenal next season will be to get back into the top four of the table and reclaim their Champions League status.
And to be really honest, players like Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka will not help them achieve that.
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The Gunners are trying to bring Martin Odegaard back to the club and if they can secure this transfer then they will surely pull the plug for this James Maddison deal.
But till then, Arsenal have no other choice but to keep chasing the Leicester City midfielder.
Initially, it was thought the club will also have to invest in a new defensive midfielder but now that Granit Xhaka will not be leaving for Roma, Mikel Arteta can afford to wait one more year before revamping that department.
A good No 10 can change the whole rhythm of the side(proved by Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United) and despite his below par for during the 2020-21 season, James Maddison remains one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League.
