Keown To Arsenal Management: Sign Ndidi, Not Maddison

Arsenal legend Martin Keown has told the club to forego their chase of James Maddison and focus on signing Nigeria international, Wilfred Ndidi.

Maddison has been a subject of a £60m interest from Arsenal, with the English midfielder reportedly keen to move to the Emirates Stadium.

Speaking after Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to newcomers Brentford in their Premier League opener on Friday, Keown said Arsenal needed steel within the squad.

He said within the Leicester ranks, only Ndidi and Youri Tielemans had such quality.

“The missing ingredient for Arsenal was steel, so I’m not sure Maddison is the player we should be going for,” Keown told Stadium Astro.

“If I am going to Leicester, I’m going for Tielemans or Ndidi, I’m not going for Maddison because Arsenal need that type of player first.

“You have to build that structure to the team. They have (Emile) Smith Rowe, they have that creativity.

“You just want (Alexandre) Lacazette and (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang back again. But I think the base of that team, we had a young debutant (Albert Sambi Lokonga) playing there tonight.

“But I’m looking at that as an area where Arsenal should be buying an international player.

“If you really want to make it happen, you have to be able to dictate games in that midfield and Arsenal at the moment, it is an area that really concerns me.”

He also made 61 interceptions — the eighth-best in the Premier League.

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