Arsenal Transfer Rumors: Francis Coquelin Sale Harsh, But Intriguing

Arsenal has recently extended the contract of Francis Coquelin, but Charlie Nicholas thinks that he should be sold. Bold. But maybe he has a point.

There have been several success stories to latch onto at Arsenal. Hector Bellerin and Alex Iwobi are both living success stories, but Francis Coquelin is still an inspiring tale. Called back from Charlton Athletic to be the spine that the Gunner’s have lacked since Vieira, Coquelin was surprisingly proficient.

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And he learned and grew and became one of the best man-marking defensive midfielders in the Premier League.

He was a damn hero, you could say. We wanted a midfielder of his type so incredibly badly and it came from one of the most unlikely of places.

Yet here we are, two-ish years later, and Charlie Nicholas thinks we should sell the man.

“When everybody’s fit and fresh Coquelin would be lucky to get in the 18. We simply need numbers in that department right now,” he said, via Sky Sports.

“He’ll do a job short term and after that you’d think they’d get a decent price for him. It puts his value up and I would sell him in the summer when everybody is fit.”

Initially I though Charlie was a bit batty. Few players have been more reliable than Coquelin over the last couple of years.

But then I got to thinking of all the times I myself have wondered if Coquelin is what we need. He’s a great presence and he is fantastic at what he does. But I don’t see him growing into anymore than what he currently does.

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And isn’t that why Granit Xhaka was purchased? To be that catch-all solution in the midfield that can defend as well as push forward and start things? Coquelin still can’t do that. He has wonderful athleticism and again, man-marks remarkably well. Beyond that though, doesn’t Arsenal need a bit more?

Those two holding roles are a premium and need versatile weapons to back up the attack. Look at how up and down these past few weeks have been without a consistent weapon coming from those two positions. Santi Cazorla’s absence has been keenly felt.

Nicholas is suggesting something that is harsh, but realistic. The future of this midfield might not have space in the starting XI for someone like Coquelin. If Xhaka pans out, that takes one spot and the next spot needs to be a Cazorla type. That means Coquelin would be a sub, which I would love to keep him as, but it wouldn’t be fair to him at all.

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Plus, like Nicholas said, you could really build up Coquelin’s value this second half of the season, building up to the summer, and get a great return that you could use towards more contracts or locking up a long-term Cazorla replacement just in case the numerous internal ones don’t work out.

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