Arsenal continued their recovery in the Premier League last night with a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest, although the last five minutes were presumably nervier than Mikel Arteta would have hoped for.
Emile Smith Rowe started ahead of Kai Havertz in midfield, and while he wasn't poor by any stretch of the imagination, he wasn't great.
This position could develop into a problem for the Gunners in the long term, although it would appear as if Edu and Co are looking to address it as soon as possible, as the latest player touted for a move to N5 could slot right in and become their own James Maddison.
Arsenal go hunting in the Championship
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT earlier this week, transfers expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Arsenal have "sent some scouts multiple times" to watch Leicester City's dynamic midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
However, the Italian journalist also confirmed that the Gunners weren't the only side to have done so, revealing that "three or four clubs have done the same."
He confirmed that Brighton & Hove Albion have already bid around £20m to secure the 25-year-old's signature, but that was quickly rebuffed by the Foxes, who value their star at closer to £40m.
While that would be a lot of money for the Gunners to spend on a Championship player, his performances this season suggest that he could make a significant impact at the Emirates.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could replicate James Maddison's impact on Spurs
Now, the first thing to note is that no, Maddison and Dewsbury-Hall do not play the same role or position in their sides, with the former occupying a more attacking midfield role and the latter a central role, but that is not the point.
When the Lilywhites signed the England international from Leicester for £40m in the summer, they required a new number ten, and the former Norwich City ace has undeniably come in and made that role his own – scoring three goals and providing six assists in just 11 league games.
In the Gunners' case, they need a new central midfielder to come in and challenge Havertz and Smith Rowe for the starting left-eight role, and based on his performances in the Championship for Leicester City, there is every chance he could make that role his own.
Described as a "revelation" by former manager Brendan Rodgers, the 25-year-old has been like a man possessed in the second tier, scoring ten goals and providing nine assists in just 26 starts, which is a significantly more impressive haul than Havertz's four league goals and one assist in 14 starts.
In the case of Smith Rowe, while he started against Forest, he has played 374 Premier League minutes across the last two seasons, so trying to compare where he is today to the Foxes star would be pointless.
This is also true when looking at their underlying numbers, as using the Hale End star's numbers from two seasons ago wouldn't be a fair representation of where he is now, but when comparing the other two, who comes out on top?
Well, rather unsurprisingly, it's the "dangerous" Dewsbury-Hall, as described by his manager Enzo Maresca, who comes out on top in essentially every metric relevant for a modern eight, and by quite some way.
Dewsbury-Hall
Havertz
0.64
0.33
0.35
0.21
0.35
0.07
6.29
4.29
4.18
1.57
0.90
0.21
5.23
2.28
0.78
0.21
0.94
0.71
0.98
0.50
1.45
0.50
5.51
4.79
For example, the gulf in the number of progressive passes and carries the pair produce per 90 is vast, as is the number of shot and goal-creating actions they produce per 90.
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While there is every chance that Smith Rowe could rediscover his scintillating form of the 2021/22 season when he registered 12 goal involvements in 21 league starts, that could take some time, and if Arsenal want to challenge for the title this year, they need a player to come in and have a Maddison-esque impact, which is precisely what Dewsbury Hall could provide.