Arsenal identify Declan Rice clone as January priority

Arsenal are ready to battle Liverpool to sign Hugo Larsson from Eintracht Frankfurt during the January transfer window, with Mikel Arteta seemingly of the belief that the young Swede will be a star of the future.

TeamTalk reports that interest is quickly building in Larsson ahead of January, with multiple Premier League teams as well as AC Milan chasing the 20-year-old.

Arsenal are targeting a young player for the midfield to bring more energy to their title push and believe that Larsson is of the ideal profile due to his ability to slot straight into the team.

Interestingly, he has also has the same agent as Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, who is a player that Arteta had prioritised for summer 2024 before being priced out of a move. The Sweden striker is also a player that Arsenal could revisit in 2025, although Ruben Amorim, the former head coach of the Portuguese club, has ruled out the prospect of a January transfer.

There is one potential hiccup for the move, though, which is that Larsson has been suffering from a thigh injury lately that may need to clear up before a deal is struck.

Who is Hugo Larsson?

Larsson is a multi-purpose midfielder, who typically plays as a ball-winning player but does have the capacity to feature in a more box-to-box role. He has played 10 Bundesliga matches for Frankfurt this season, scoring two goals in the process.

Data analytics experts SciSports compare him to Chelsea star Moises Caicedo or Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga in terms of his statistical profile, which also bears a strong resemblance to current Arsenal star Declan Rice.

Larsson vs Rice: Playing Style

Larsson has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €21 million and veers away from Arteta’s preference of signing players who already have experience in the Premier League.

On top of this, there are questions raised over his physicality by SciSports, which suggests that he is both lacking in speed and stamina, though both could be improved by the Gunners over time.