Things certainly didn't go their way last season, but Arsenal will still be genuine contenders in the Premier League and Champions League next year, as the team remain stacked with talent.

The likes of David Raya, William Saliba, Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and more will all still be some of the best in their position, and Declan Rice looks set to continue improving.

The Englishman, who played more of a left-eight role this year, was named the club's Player of the Season last week, and it would be hard to say he didn't deserve it.

So, fans should be excited about reports linking the club to an international superstar who could be one of the reasons why the former West Ham United star is even more effective next year.

Arsenal transfer news

Before getting to the star in question, it's worth looking at some of the other players touted for moves to Arsenal in recent weeks, like Benjamin Sesko and Anthony Gordon.

The former has been linked with the Gunners since last summer, but more recent reports suggest that he might finally be on his to the club for around £67m in the coming weeks, which, for a 22-year-old striker who racked up 27 goal involvements this season, isn't too bad.

Gordon, on the other hand, is reportedly available for around £80m, and while he's most certainly a talented player, his tally of 16 goal involvements in 42 games is hardly mind-blowing.

Fortunately, the Gunners are now heavily linked with another winger who'd be a far more exciting acquisition: Rodrygo.

According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal are intensely interested in the Real Madrid star this summer.

In fact, the report has revealed that the North Londoners have already made contact and are now willing to make an offer for him.

The story does not mention how much the international star may cost, but reports from earlier this month seem to agree that a fee of around £84m should be enough to tempt Los Blancos into selling.

It would be an incredibly costly and potentially complicated transfer to get done, but given Rodrygo's outrageous ability, notably described as one of the "best players in the world" by Carlo Ancelotti, it would be a superb signing.

Why Rodrygo would be a dream for Rice

Now then, when it comes to a player of Rodrygo's calibre, you could probably say that he'd be a dream teammate for every player in the Arsenal squad, so what about him makes him such an exciting prospect for Rice?

Well, there are, in fact, several reasons, but the first and ultimately most important, is the Brazilian's raw output.

For example, in 51 appearances this season, totalling 3360 minutes, the 24-year-old "magician," as dubbed by Statman Dave, scored 14 goals and provided ten assists, which comes out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 2.12 games, or every 140 minutes.

This is important because Arteta has turned the Gunners' tenacious number 41 from a traditional six into a left-eight, and as such, he is expected to help out with attacks more often, which he has done this season.

Across 52 appearances this season, the former Hammers star scored nine goals and provided ten assists, and according to Understat, he should have had at least two more assists in the league alone.

So just imagine how much more dangerous the Englishman could be with a truly effective winger just ahead of him, as when we compare the Real star's numbers to Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard in this table, it's clear he is far more dangerous.

Finally, on top of helping the monstrous midfielder further improve his own output, signing the former Santos gem also sends the right message: that the club are determined to bring in world-class players to help those they already have to achieve greatness and win things.

Therefore, while it will be costly and likely drawn out, Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign Rodrygo this summer.