Arsenal eye £100m Onana teammate to rival Gabriel and he’s a “monster”

Arsenal’s form has fallen off a cliff in the last few weeks, with two back-to-back losses in the Premier League and a 2-0 loss in the FA Cup.

However, with half of the season to go and plenty to fight for, Mikel Arteta won’t have lost hope, and with the transfer window now open, he has the chance to bolster his squad, and one name that just won’t go away is Everton’s Amadou Onana.

The Belgian ace has been touted for a move to the Emirates several times this month and prior, but he isn’t the only Toffees star that the Spaniard has been looking at in January.

Arsenal target Onana’s impressive teammate

According to talkSPORT, Arsenal are one of several major clubs that ‘admire’ Everton’s exciting young centre-back, Jarrad Branthwaite.

The report has revealed that alongside Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Newcastle United, the Gunners are keen to add the promising defender to their young and dynamic team.

Unfortunately, it could well take a mammoth fee to prise the defender away from the Toffees, with one report detailing a £100m valuation.

While it would be a complex deal to complete with so many massive teams after him, signing Branthwaite would make Arsenal’s defence so much more impressive, although it could spell trouble for Gabriel.

How Jarrad Branthwaite compares to Gabriel

The arrival of a player that football talent scout Jacek Kulig described as “an absolute monster” would likely be welcomed by the Arsenal faithful with open arms, especially if he arrived with Onana in tow.

The Carlisle-born centre-back has started 86% of Everton’s league games this season, while the Belgian has started 76%. While there have been some losses in those games, the pair have starred in some of the Toffees’ most impressive wins this season, such as the away win over West Ham United and the EFL Cup win away to Aston Villa.

The only person who might secretly hope Arsenal don’t get this deal over the line is Gabriel. If Branthwaite does sign for the Gunners, it would be so under the promise of regular first-team football, and for as talented as the Brazilian is, it would likely be him that lost out and not William Saliba.

However, how do the pair’s underlying numbers compare? Would Arteta be justified in dropping the former LOSC Lille man for the Toffees star?

Well, unfortunately for the Gunners’ number six, while his defensive numbers are undoubtedly impressive, they aren’t as remarkable as Branthwaite’s.

The English “wall”, as described by Kulig, comes out on top for tackles won, interceptions, clearances, ball recoveries, and even aerial duels won per 90.

In contrast, the only defensive metric in which Gabriel comes out ahead is in blocks per 90, and that just won’t be enough to justify his place ahead of the 21-year-old if a transfer can be agreed upon.

Ultimately, if Arsenal can get ahead of the pack and agree on a deal for the promising defender, they should, especially if they can complete a double swoop for Onana.