Oriol Romeu
The transfer window slammed shut just a week ago, but Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is already reportedly planning his next move.
Wenger has a knack of plucking young, raw talents and turning them into world beaters, and the next one in his sights is Barcelona midfielder Oriol Romeu , according to Spanish reports.
So who is this promising 18-year-old? Where would he fit in the Gunners' midfield?
The last time Wenger got his claws into the Barcelona academy he came up with a certain Cesc Fabregas.
So will this latest foray produce similar results?
Using our global scouting network, we at IMScouting have compiled a brief analysis on his prospects.
Technically sound, with a difference
Romeu is the kind of midfielder Wenger likes. Versatile, technically sound, great vision - a player who will be comfortable playing Arsenal 's fluid passing game.
However, he has uniqueness about him and qualities absent even in the plethora of talent currently at Wenger's disposal.
Romeu is mainly a defensive midfielder, but he can also function very well as central defender and he has enough technique to play as midfielder in a two central-midfielder line-up.
He has a rare blend of pace, strength, tactical sense, technique and anticipation – all the ingredients to be a Premier League star.
Romeu's maturity belies his age. He rarely takes unnecessary risks or makes bad decisions. He is not the most creative of players, but he plays it simple and rarely gives the ball away. He is very strong and very fast, and tactically very disciplined.
The Spaniard has fine anticipation and positional sense, as he reads the game exceptionally well.
Wenger likes tactically disciplined players with high potential, and Romeu appears to be the perfect fit.
Arsenal currently play a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-2-2-2 formation, with two out of Jack Wilshere , Abou Diaby and Alexandre Song sitting in between the back four and a duo or trio of attacking midfielders.
But neither of those players is a classic holding midfielder.
Or, in other words, neither come close to this man…
The missing piece in the Arsenal jigsaw?
It has been said that Arsenal , and maybe even the Premiership as a whole, have never really replaced Patrick Vieira – sorry Manchester City fans but the young Patrick Vieira , not the one in the twilight of his career.
In his prime, Patrick was the archetypical, modern-day midfielder. An immense, athletic player, a rock in the middle of the park. Vieira didn't lose many physical battles, and fans across country relished his mouthwatering contests with his nemesis, Manchester United's Roy Keane.
After staggering success in the late 90s and early last decade, Arsenal have only won one major trophy - an FA Cup - since 2004.
And much of this has been put down to Vieira's departure for Juventus in 2005.
What are Wenger's chances of wooing Romeu?
Wenger's chances of luring Romeu to the Emirates Stadium actually look quite good.
The teen put in some five-star performances for Barcelona 's reserve team last season. But with Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets ahead of him in the pecking order, his chances of an appearance for the first-team look like they will be few and far between.
His contract expires at the end of the 2011/2012, and with an estimated market value of €1M-2.5M, Wenger might be primed to strike one of his bargain deals.
The similarities between Romeu and Vieira don't just stop in the two players' styles.
Vieira was plucked as a 20-year-old from AC Milan under similar circumstances - he had just made two appearances for the Serie A side.
And in Romeu, Wenger may have finally found a worthy successor to the formidable Frenchman.