Arsenal Transfer Rumors: Asier Illarramendi Could Fit Arsenal’s Needs

Depending on who you ask, Asier Illarramendi has either a really good chance of coming to Arsenal or absolutely no chance. Either way, it won’t be happening this January (or so they tell us).

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If Morgan Schneiderlin is truly already coming to Arsenal this summer, then there’s no point in inspecting this, but something tells me that the Frenchman isn’t 100% confirmed just yet, and with players like Illarramendi potentially available, why should he be?

Illarramendi is one of many world-class fringe players at Real Madrid. On just about any other team in the world, he could pull a starting XI role, but at Real, he’s managed only three starts this year. At 24-years of age and his prime right around the corner, that has to be irking the Spaniard.

Rumors have already linked Illarramendi to Athletico Bilbao, but supposedly he’d prefer a move to England. As such, where better than Arsenal, who need a defensive midfielder (depending on Francis Coquelin) and who have a manager that players worldwide are itching to play for.

The problem is his pricetag, as it always is. Real paid 22 million pounds for him in July of 2013 and no doubt they’ll want near full-price back for him.

Madrid Manager Carlo Ancelotti had this to say about the prospect of a transfer: “About Illarramendi there is nothing new. He is a Real Madrid player, it is true he has not played much lately, but that does not change my confidence in him, or his importance for the team. So there is nothing new about that.” (ESPNFC)

This reads like an Arsene Wenger statement. All he basically said was that Asier Illarramendi plays for Madrid, and currently there’s nothing new about the fact that he plays for Madrid. But he does not rule out a potential transfer by any means.

Real Madrid is a revolving door at most positions, and Illarramendi’s time there is limited, given his skills and his play time. The only question is whether or not Francis Coquelin is the answer, and if Wenger will spill his dough on a defensive midfielder (neither answer we have, however the latter is likely a ‘no’).

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