How Paulo Dybala Would Fit into the Current Arsenal Squad

According to Gianluca Di Marzio (h/t Hannah Duncan of Metro), Arsenal are set to open talks over Palermo prodigy Paulo Dybala. The transfer rumour has led to speculative debate over exactly how the Argentinian might fit into the Arsenal squad.

Attack is not an area where Arsenal obviously require reinforcements. Olivier Giroud has been outstanding this season, delivering an emphatic riposte to his critics with a prolific campaign.

What's more, Arsenal recruited both Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez last summer to ensure they had both depth and variety in the forward positions.

However, there could be a number of attacking exits from the club this summer. The trio of Joel Campbell, Yaya Sanogo and Lukas Podolski are all currently out on loan, but it’s possible those deals will become permanent come the summer.

There are also question marks over the future of Theo Walcott. With his contract due to expire in just over a year, Chris Waugh of the Daily Mail reports that talks over a proposed extension have reached an impasse. Should he fail to agree to a new deal, he could be sold off this summer to ensure the club receives a fee for his services.

The departures of Campbell, Sanogo, Podolski and Walcott would certainly create a gap in the squad, especially if teenage striker Chuba Akpom was sent to gain first-team experience on loan.

Arsenal could also do with someone who is a specialist in a central role. For most of the season, Alexis and Welbeck have been fielded on the flanks. Though both players enjoy playing through the middle, manager Arsene Wenger seems to prefer employing their work ethic in wide areas.

Dybala is someone who could provide Arsenal with a genuine alternative to Giroud. According to WhoScored, all 27 of his appearances for Palermo this season have come as a central striker. He's no utility man, he's a specialist.

Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images

That’s not to say he plays in a similar style to Arsenal’s powerful French international. Though Dybala does have the first touch to reproduce elements of Giroud’s hold-up play, he is someone who would be more adept at providing contrast than cover.

At heart, he is a dribbler. He is at his best when tearing at defenders with the ball at his feet. He also has the speed required to break the offside trap with a well-timed sprint.

When games open up, Dybala could be used to exploit space behind the opposition defence. 

He’s also still just 21. With Giroud seven years older than the Palermo man, Dybala could be the longtime heir to the Frenchman’s position as Arsenal’s striker-in-chief. It would require an evolution in Arsenal’s style, but it could lead to a more mobile, fluid attacking shape.

Given Dybala’s extraordinary individual quality, it’s not difficult to envisage Arsenal finding room for him in their squad for 2015/16.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.