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Arsenal Would Reap Benefits of Signing Grzegorz Krychowiak
By Josh Sippie
The Daily Telegraph is reporting that Arsenal sent a scouting delegation to watch Grzegorz Krychowiak play in the Spanish Super Cup. The Gunners have been long-time admirers of the Polish midfielder and may be keen on stepping up their interest after getting hammered by West Ham.
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Arsenal had gone nearly a decade without a proper defensive midfielder before Francis Coquelin suddenly returned from Charlton Athletic, a changed man. Through half a season last year, he established himself as a wrecking ball in the middle of the pitch.
However, Coquelin has no competition for his spot. So when Le Coq has bouts of ineffectiveness, Arsenal will be forced to weather the storm.
Against West Ham was one such occasion where Coquelin just did not look on point. He completed no tackles, just one aerial duel and only grabbed two interceptions which paled compared to Aaron Ramsey’s five. His passing fell to a still-respectable 85% but his errant long passes were still a concern (stats via WhoScored).
Arsenal are known to be looking for another defensive midfielder to rival Coquelin, but since the transfer window opened to massive speculation on who they may sign, the rumors have gone quiet. In fact, the only strong link that still exists tied to Arsenal is Karim Benzema.
Make no mistake about it, Arsenal need another defensive midfielder. The days of Arsenal walking an injury tight rope can be put behind us with a few signings and this has to be one of them. If we are going to compete for a title, Wenger has to prepare the team for the worst case scenario and as it stands, the worst case scenario being injuries, Arsenal could derail incredibly quickly.
Krychowiak has a release clause at 21.26 million pounds and given how little Arsenal have spent, that really is not that huge of a sum to pay for such a valuable asset.
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The Polish enforcer is three inches taller and twenty pounds stouter than Francis Coquelin. He brings massive quality to aerial duels and he is a master tackler and interceptor as well. Essentially, he is like Coquelin, except bigger.
But what Krychowiak has that Coquelin does not is some semblance of offensive ability. Coquelin cannot shoot and he cannot string a pass very well. Krychowiak can. He scored two goals and added an assist last year while maintaining a shady, yet effective 81% pass completion.
Not having any offensive abilities out of Coquelin’s spot could be problematic at times for the Gunners. Krychowiak is the solution. Even Nemanja Matic beings some offensive ability to the table for Chelsea.
For just 22 million pounds, Arsenal would be getting a sound investment for their future as well as a solution to a current problem. It makes sense to me.
Next: Ramsey Must Start Over Cazorla