Arsenal hoping to sign two La Liga midfielders

Eddie Nketiah’s first ever Premier League hat-trick helped Arsenal to a 5-0 win over Sheffield United on Saturday. 

The Englishman put the hosts in front in the first-half at The Emirates, before adding two more to his tally after the break.

Fabio Vieira and Takehiro Tomiyasu also netted late on, earning Mikel Arteta’s side an important win which keeps them just two points behind league leaders Tottenham Hotspur.

Off the pitch, though, it appears that one of Arteta’s players is becoming increasingly unhappy at the club.

According to Calciomercato via The Sun, midfielder Thomas Partey is becoming ‘dissatisfied’ with his role at The Emirates and could therefore push to leave.

With that in mind, Arteta has identified La Liga midfielders Martin Zubimendi and Aurelien Tchouameni as possible replacements.

Partey, 30, has been a regular for Arsenal since joining the club from Atletico Madrid three years ago, and played a pivotal role as Arteta’s side came second in the Premier League last term.

Tchouameni has emerged as a target for Arsenal

The Ghana international has been limited to just three league starts so far this season, however, due to a combination of injury and simply not being selected.

Partey started the Gunners’ first three league games in a makeshift right-back role, with Declan Rice’s summer arrival from West Ham United undoubtedly impacting his playing time.

If he were to leave, the former Atletico man would likely command a significant fee, and it appears that Arteta is already searching for potential replacements.

Real Madrid star Tchouameni has established himself as one of the best young midfielders in the world in recent seasons, and has made more than 60 appearances for the Spanish giants since joining the club last summer.

Zubimendi, meanwhile, graduated from current side Real Sociedad’s youth academy and has since gone on to make a total of 157 appearances for the club across all competitions.

Arsenal are said to have made an attempt to sign the Spain international earlier this year, but both Sociedad and the player himself rejected the approach.