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Arsenal Must Capitalize on Victor Wanyama’s Unrest

By Josh Sippie

By Glasgow Celtic (Flickr: IMG_7379) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
By Glasgow Celtic (Flickr: IMG_7379) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons /
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Victor Wanyama recently told Southampton that he wants to get out while the gettin’ is good. Although Saints’ manager Ronald Koeman has said the player is not for sale, a disgruntled bruiser usually makes for undesirable circumstances for your club. As SkySports reports, Tottenham are in the market for Victor Wanyama as manager Mauricio Pochettino was the Saints’ manager that signed the Kenyan.

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As of right now, Tottenham seem to stand uncontested. I do not like the sound of that, especially given the reasonable price and sound skill of Victor Wanyama.

Arsenal need another defensive midfielder. It does not matter how you spin it or how much faith you have in Francis Coquelin, they need depth, competition and security. Behind Le Coq sits Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini. Arteta does not have the legs to make it 90 minutes and Flamini is trying to get paid to leave. Who do you want defending the game when it matters most?

Neither.

Check that, I want Victor Wanyama.

The Kenyan defensive midfielder has always been a bruising customer. I always rated him higher than Morgan Schneiderlin in terms of who should come to Arsenal and just to prove the point, here is a conveniently organized table (via Squawka) to prove that Victor Wanyama was always the answer, not that guy that went to United.

[table id=61 /]

It may seem rather inconclusive, but consider the following factors. For starters, Victor Wanyama’s successful take-on percentage is out of this world. Any time you are topping Coquelin at any sort of defensive stat, you are doing many things right.

Victor Wanyama is also a prominent aerial threat, as his size and heading ability make him another key option. If you want proof, have a look:

The pass completion is relevant because, while Schneiderlin tops Wanyama in most offensive categories, Wanyama is not far behind. With a pass completion sitting just behind his former team mate, nearly as many chances created (and far more than Coquelin) and nearly as many goals as well, Wanyama is still an offensive threat where Coquelin is showing no signs of ever being one.

Victor Wanyama also has fantastic pace and the tremendous ability to score from distance. If you want proof, have a look:

Victor Wanyama has tremendous composure on the ball. He is not susceptible to mistakes and he has the ability to sit on a ball and wait for things to happen around him.

But the main factory that makes Victor Wanyama so much more sensible than Morgan Schneiderlin is the fact that he is going to cost 10 million pounds less. Remember how much Arsene Wenger loves bargain shopping?

Francis Coquelin is still going to be our go-to guy in the middle of the pitch, but what you get in adding Victor Wanyama is so valuable. Now, if Coquelin needs a break or if he gets into trouble, you stick in Victor Wanyama, who is almost just as effective defensively, and very little is lost.

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In games where more offense is needed, Arsenal would have the ability to pull Coquelin, who brings nothing to the offensive side of the table, and put in Wanyama, who still provides cover defensively while adding offensive clout and a firm shot.

Now picture a defensive midfield pairing of Coquelin and Wanyama. It may not be Vieira and Gilberto but it is not far away. Given that both Le Coq and Victor Wanyama are 24 years old, they could establish a long-term partnership holding down a powerful midfield that would quite literally inspire fear in the opposition and terrorize any potential attacks they can formulate.

Arsenal have only spent 11 million this summer and while it should never be a matter of just spending money, no one out there would dispute a signing to add depth at the base of the midfield, particularly when that depth is of the quality of Victor Wanyama.

Next: Benzema's price tag is not the problem

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