Arsenal: Piotr Zielinksi Another Worthy Santi Cazorla Replacement
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal need to recreate what Santi Cazorla provided for them in the midfield and there are numerous candidates to do so. Piotr Zielinski has been added to that list.
Arsenal’s shambolic midfield is in desperate need of some stabilizing and it’s becoming obvious that the current crew might not be able to provide that. Granit Xhaka definitely has the ability to bring about his half of the stabilization, but the second half really does come down to finding a Cazorla-type who can be the hinge between offense and defense.
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Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jon Toral could all feasibly serve that role, but at some point you have to bring in extra man power.
I have talked ad nauseum about Isco and his merits, although I’d rather see him come in in place of Mesut Ozil. Adrien Rabiot, too, is a fantastic option and to me, the best one. Rabiot, Xhaka and Isco as then midfield three would be everything I could ever dream of.
But dreams usually don’t come true with Arsenal, so you need other options.
Piotr Zielinski over at Napoli is a fantastic option to put next to Xhaka to reenact what Santi Cazorla created. Zielinski is having a fantastic inaugural season with the Italian outfit, contributing three goals and six assists from his central midfield position in just over 1200 minutes of play.
He is a no-nonsense midfielder, does not surrender the ball, is smart with his passing and understands the importance of maintaining possession and linking play up.
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He’s like a bigger Santi Cazorla who happens to be Polish and a decade younger.
The problem (there is always a problem) is that Zielinski is in the first year of a massive five year contract with Napoli and the club will be less than inclined to let him go for anything near a cheap price. Especially now that his talent is out there for all to see.
The Daily Star does indicate that Zielinski has been scouted by Arsenal, which signifies interest, and that is always a good thing, especially with the supposed impending overhaul coming.
With a rotating door of a midfield, landing a young, proven midfielder like Rabiot or Zielinski would be such a boon on a club that has used every midfield combination in the books in a desperate attempt to find something that can replicate what Santi Cazorla provided.
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So instead of playing with the same old toys and expecting a new game, why not buy something new?