Arsenal Can Answer Numerous Questions With Saul Niguez

Arsenal are inevitably tied to Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez, but this rumor has some credibility given the style of the player in question.

Any midfield with defensive capabilities is going to be linked to Arsenal. Saul Niguez is no exception. The Atletico Madrid product recently turned down a contract extension with Atletico as he is seeking nearly £4m in wages. It is simply a number that the club do not look ready to accommodate. At least not yet.

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With declining a contract comes transfer rumors and given the buyout clause in Niguez’s contract, the Spaniard can be had for £18m. Not the worst price ever when considering that it is one of the cheaper options out there.

The base of Arsenal’s midfield is always going to be in question until another option emerges. Coquelin cannot do the job all by himself and if the worry persists that he is only at his best when Cazorla is next to him, then answers must be acquired.

Saul Niguez is an interesting option because he can be a multi-faceted answer. I have spoken in favor of Grzegorz Krychowiak and the plausibility of that transfer rumor given the Poles’ versatility to play just about any defensive position. Niguez is similar, only that he can play more offensive positions.

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Atletico’s standard 4-4-2 formation does not have a ‘holding midfield’ role like Arsenal’s 4-2-3-1 does. He has been rotating around the Atletico midfield four this year, finding 12 appearances in the center, six on the right and three on the left. He doesn’t appear to have a weakness, at least not statistically speaking.

Niguez shows the endurance to go the full 90 on a regular basis, he has scored from whichever position he’s put at (even central defense) and in spite of it all, he puts up solid defensive numbers as well. Saul registers 3.1 tackles per 90 and 2.0 interceptions to go along with it.

Adding even more pros to this rumor is his ability to maintain possession. Saul only gets dispossessed 1.2 times per 90 minutes (all stats via WhoScored).

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In summary, Saul has everything Arsenal need in a midfielder. With Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini all moving on, Arsenal will likely give first dibs to guys like Jon Toral and Isaac Hayden. These two are wanted elsewhere and they have to be given their chance at the Emirates or Arsenal risk losing them.

If they do not work out, replacements have to be made and at just 21 years of age and being reasonably priced, Saul Niguez is a versatile option that would make a ton of sense. He is not the strictly defensive midfielder that Wenger shirks, so we don’t have to worry about that excuse. He has so many facets that Wenger could certainly find someway to utilize him.

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The big question is if he will actually leave Atletico Madrid. Saul has been at Atletico since he was 13. Diego Simeone even went so far as to call Saul indispensable. Good luck coaxing such a commodity to leave his home.