Weeks do not come much bigger than this for Arsenal.
On Sunday, Mikel Arteta's team return to action, following the international break, with a bang, hosting Tottenham in the North London derby.
mikel-arteta-arsenal-premier-league
Then, on Wednesday, the top two in this season's Champions League will go head-to-head, with Bayern Munich and Arsenal both putting their 100% records in the competition on the line, before the Gunners face the small matter of another London derby against Chelsea next Sunday.
If the Premier League leaders are going to still be sitting pretty at the top in ten days time, Arteta will need his key figures to perform at their best, but is sporting director Andrea Berta already putting plans in place to sign a "monster" hybrid of two of Arsenal's most pivotal players?
Arsenal targeting a midfield monster
Two of Arsenal's most important signings in recent seasons have inarguably been Declan Rice and Mikel Merino.
The former has been transformational in midfield, potentially now the best in his position in the Premier League, while the Spaniard has been integral in a completely unforeseen way, excelling as the emergency makeshift striker even since he was thrust into the role off the bench at Leicester in February, poised to lead the line again against Spurs on Sunday.
Now, according to TEAMalk, the Gunners and Andrea Berta are targeting another midfield star, reporting that Arsenal are one of many Premier League clubs interested in signing Scott McTominay from Napoli.
They add that the Gunners are exploring a move for a star who is valued at €80m (around £70.5m), by the Partenopei, noting that it would take an 'astronomical' fee for them to sell the 'linchpin' in Antonio Conte's team, while noting that the Scotland international would like to return to the Premier League one day.
In history, only 15 men have ever made a senior appearance for both Arsenal and Manchester United, Robin van Persie, Alexis Sánchez, Danny Welbeck and Henrikh Mkhitaryan among the recent high-profile examples, so could McTominay soon join this exclusive list?
What Scott McTominay would bring to Arsenal
McTominay was in the news this week by virtue of scoring this jaw-dropping overhead kick to help Scotland qualify for a first World Cup in 28 years, breaking the deadlock as his side beat Denmark 4-2 at Hampden in ultra-dramatic fashion; if you somehow haven't seen this goal, it is well worth your time!
Well, if you think McTominay is popular in Scotland, he holds god-like status in Naples, having been the key figure in their Serie A triumph last season, clinching only the Ciucciarelli's fourth Scudetto, named the league's player of the season, with the statistics below underlining why.
McTominay Serie A stats 2024/25
Stats
Goals
Headed goals
Shots
Shots on target
Non pen goals - xG
Goal-creating actions
Successful take-ons
Ground duels won
Aerial duels won
Ball recoveries
Touches in box
Average rating
Stats via FBref and SofaScore
As the table documents, McTominay is the complete all-rounder, ranked highly for a wide variety of metrics.
He scored 12 goals from just 33 shots on target, thereby behind only Capocannoniere winner Mateo Retegui in terms of non-penalty goals - expected goals, including this strike on the final day against Cagliari to secure the Scudetto, a goal recently relegated to the second-best bicycle kick on his showreel.
As well as his goal-scoring exploits, McTominay ranked in the top 20 for successful take-ons, ground duels won and ball recoveries, further emphasising his all-action nature.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær, his manager at Manchester United, labelled him a "physical monster", while Adam Joseph described him as a "true superstar of European and world football".
So, McTominay appears to have combined all the best attributes from both Merino and Rice.
Scott-McTominay-Napoli
Like Merino, the Scotsman has harnessed his goal-scoring instincts, as well as being excellent in the air, as underlined by the fact he scored three headers and won 67 aerial duels in Serie A last season.
Meantime, just like Rice, McTominay is an asset all across the pitch, able to cover a lot of ground and help win back possession when his team do not have the ball, while contributing driving dribbles and goal-scoring actions in the final third.
Man-Utd-Scott-McTominay-record
Thus, the World Cup-bound 28-year-old has flourished into one of the planet's very best all-round midfield players, so would surely be an exceptional addition for Arsenal.
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As Arsenal seek attacking reinforcement to get their title push over the line, will they target "one of the best wingers in the world" valued at £80m?