It's been a tough season for Arsenal so far this year.
Instead of battling it atop the Premier League table with Manchester City, Mikel Arteta's side currently find themselves down in third place, six points off Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
However, while the Gunners have certainly been less impressive than in previous campaigns, they've also suffered their fair share of injuries and had to do without Martin Odegaard for quite some time.
martin-odegaard-arsenal-premier-league
The Norwegian's impact on the team cannot be understated, so recent reports linking the club with someone who could be an upgrade on him should excite fans, especially as the player in question has previously won comparisons to the legendary Dennis Bergkamp.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several sides interested in Atalanta star Charles De Ketelaere.
charles-de-ketelaere
Alongside the Gunners, the report claims that Liverpool, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Manchester City and Aston Villa are also all keen on the Belgian playmaker.
While this level of interest is far from ideal for Arteta and Co, the good news is that it may not cost them too much to get their man, with the story revealing that he's valued at around £40m.
charles-de-ketelaere-atalanta
It could still be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given De Ketelaere's sensational ability, it's one worth pursuing, especially as he's been compared to Bergkamp and could even be an upgrade on Odegaard.
De Ketelaere's comparisons to Bergkamp & Odegaard
Okay, before we get onto the comparisons between De Ketelaere and Odegaard, let's examine the ones to Bergkamp.
dennis-bergkamp-arsenal
Well, there are a few ways in which the Belgian mirrors the iconic Dutchman, and the first is that he, too, struggled at the San Siro, producing a single assist in 40 games for AC Milan.
In comparison, the former Arsenal ace left Inter with a better but still middling haul of 34 goal involvements in 72 games.
Moreover, while the non-Flying Dutchman went on to excel once he left Inter, the young Belgian has done the same, only with another team in Italy.
Another similarity between the pair is where they play, as, like the former Invincible, the Atalanta gem can play in multiple positions but clearly favours forward areas and attacking midfield.
Ketelaere-atalanta-arsenal
Furthermore, it's not just us making this claim either, as only a couple of years ago, Italian journalist Paolo Condo told Sky Sports Italia that "he reminds me of another great: Dennis Bergkamp."
With that said, the final and incredibly important reason he has shades of Bergkamp about him is the same reason he could even be an upgrade on Odegaard: his output.
For example, in just 23 appearances this season, a good chunk of which have come in attacking midfield, the "magical" phenom, as dubbed by Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, has scored eight goals and provided nine assists, equating to a sensational average of a goal involvement every 1.35 games for the Bergamo outfit.
In contrast, the Gunners' mercurial captain has only scored once and provided five assists in 13 appearances this season, which comes to a still impressive but nonetheless worse average of a goal involvement every 2.6 games.
De Ketelaere vs Odegaard
Player
Appearances
Minutes
Goals
Assists
Goal Involvements per Match
Minutes per Goal Involvement
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Now, the former Real Madrid gem's season has obviously been hampered by injuries, and he offers more to the North Londoners than just pure output. Even so, the difference is stark.
Ultimately, while he likely won't go on to be as legendary as Bergkamp, there are undeniable shades of the Dutchman in De Ketelaere's game, and he certainly seems good enough to challenge the Gunners' captain.
Therefore, Arsenal should be doing all they can to secure the Belgian's signature as soon as possible before someone beats them to it.
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The talented player netted Arsenal a big payday.