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Arsenal Giving Up on Finding Defensive Midfield Help?
By Josh Sippie
Towards the end of July, it seemed like Arsenal were linked to every defensive midfielder that even had the slightest hint of leaving. There was Arturo Vidal, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Mehmet Topal, Axel Witsel, Yohan Cabaye, William Carvalho and Morgan Schneiderlin just to name a few.
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It seemed like it was pretty obvious that Arsene Wenger was intent on finding a good, healthy competitor for Francis Coquelin.
Morgan Schneiderlin was the longest link, as he had been rumored to be coming to Arsenal since last summer. However, he is now proudly representing Manchester United. I had never been a fan of welcoming Schneiderlin to the Emirates, especially at a price well over 20 million pounds. He paled in comparison to Arsenal’s current stock. Sure, he could have provided competition, but the cost and the upside did not mesh.
Arturo Vidal was the heaviest linked target, as various sources were reporting it a done deal. However, after his drunk driving incident in the Copa America, Arsenal quietly backed away from the situation and cut off their pursuit, which was eventually won by Bayern Munich.
William Carvalho also had a long link to Arsenal, as the Portuguese defensive midfielder was the recipient of an Arsenal bid last summer that got rejected. This summer, that bid was said to be enough, but now that Carvalho suffered a broken leg, a bid seems a bit ill-timed and unlikely.
Those were the three big names. Two have gone elsewhere and one broke a leg. That leaves Arsenal with just Francis Coquelin still. Francis Coquelin is a fantastic defensive midfielder and was a major reason for Arsenal’s success in the second half of the season. His play was masterful on the defensive side of the ball as he denied the opposition any freedom in the middle of the pitch.
But Francis Coquelin is one guy, and Arsenal need to reinforce him like they have reinforced every other position. Given all the striker pursuits, it is easy to lose track of what Arsenal’s biggest need is, and that is a little added assurance in the unlikely scenario that Francis Coquelin gets hurt and cannot play through whatever injury was dastardly enough to sideline him.
Axel Witsel is still my favorite option. He was an Arsenal fan growing up, and that sort of thing needs to be taken advantage of more by the Gunners. Bringing in a high-caliber talent that happened to be a fan of the club growing up will enhance their play. And yet, if anything, Arsenal seem to shy away from it.
Wenger has said that he is not desperately in need of anything, but Arsenal legend Frank McLintock has also sounded the bell, telling talkSPORT (via the Express): “You’ve also got one defensive central midfield player at the moment in Coquelin. Some Arsenal players have months and months out, we have seen that over the years, and if that happens to Coquelin there is no one there, except possibly Calum Chambers, who can replace him.”
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Currently, Arsenal’s defensive midfield reinforcement consists of Mathieu Flamini, Mikel Arteta and Jack Wilshere. Flamini found his appearances dropping off last year and if he is not sold this summer, he will still prove ineffective throughout the year.
Mike Arteta inked a new one-year deal this summer, but despite being a valued veteran leader, he, like Flamini, is not very effective on the pitch. In fact, He was never a defensive midfielder to begin with.
Jack Wilshere may be the most viable option but if he keeps playing like he has been, he is not going to be a reinforcement. He is going to need to be starting somewhere.
Wenger has only spent 10 of his supposed 50 million and while that 10 was spent very wisely, there is still work to be done and hopefully Arsene Wenger can see that.
Next: Bendtner Proves Nasri Wrong