Partey is heading for the exit door but guess who will be coming in

 By Danong

In recent days, it has emerged that Arsenal’s new contract offer—reportedly retaining his current wages—has not convinced the Ghana international, who is believed to be holding out for improved terms.

With his departure anticipated, Arsenal are now considering following up the Martín Zubimendi swoop with another midfield addition.

Several high-level midfielders have been linked, but one name standing out is Sevilla’s 22-year-old Lucien Agoumé.

It is not his relatively modest £20 million price tag that makes him so appealing.

It is the fact that, should Partey leave, Agoumé is quite capable to step in and share the workload alongside Zubimendi.

In Agoumé, Mikel Arteta might finally find the Moisés Caicedo-style midfielder he once believed the team desperately needed.

Why compare Agoumé to Caicedo? FBref uses statistical profiling to show how closely players match in terms of output and style—and in Agoumé’s case, he is remarkably similar to Caicedo.

Their underlying numbers tell the story. Both players rank closely in several key areas per 90 minutes: non-penalty expected goals and assists, expected assists, tackles, blocks, progressive carries and passes, and goal-creating actions.

According to FBref, Agoumé completes 87 percent of his passes when under pressure, slightly ahead of Caicedo’s 84.9 percent—an indication of his composure and quick decision-making under duress.

In terms of forward momentum, both average over five progressive passes per 90 minutes (Agoumé: 5.74; Caicedo: 5.78), highlighting their value in transitioning play from deep.

Defensively, Agoumé exhibits stronger ball-winning instincts: more blocks (1.55 vs. 0.83), more clearances (1.74 vs. 0.89), and more tackles and interceptions (3.48 vs. 2.89) per 90 minutes last season.

Yet Agoumé is also seen as a future elite number six due to his ability to control tempo, read play, distribute progressively, manipulate the ball under pressure, retain possession reliably, and duel effectively—both on the ground and in the air.

He is an all-action midfielder, and there is reason to believe he could handle the number eight role just as well.

In Agoumé, Arsenal may not just be getting the Caicedo they once chased—they may be landing a more complete, hybrid version of the South American.