Arsenal: It is time to say goodbye to Francis Coquelin?

Francis Coquelin has been linked to a loan move to Spanish side Valencia for a year. Make this loan for Coquelin happen Arsenal!

Is it finally time?! The French central midfielder Francis Coquelin, a player that hasn’t been too productive for Arsenal, is finally linked to a move away!

Let’s not get overly hyped though. According to The Sun and other reports, Valencia want Coquelin on only a season-long loan. But I will still get hyped, “YESSS!!” Now you may think that this move is nothing more than a loan, but is it really?

Let’s take a look to what this move may actually mean.

The 26-year-old Coquelin has really never found his groove with Arsenal. If you do not believe me (which you should), Coquelin has scored 0 goals and only notched one assist since 2008. Yes, you read that right. ZERO goals and only one assist.

Yeah, I get it. He’s a CDM his job isn’t scoring. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you check out the Top 5 Players Arsenal need to sell. As you can probably tell, Coquelin was on that list. I just don’t understand how other CDM’s can both provide an attack while playing defense but Coquelin cannot register a single goal in about nine seasons.

This loan move may be exactly what both Arsenal and Coquelin need: a fresh start. Going to Valencia means Coquelin is basically in a tryout session. If he does well, Valencia can sign him permanently at the end of the spell if they please. If it backfires, he comes back to North London and will probably become a disappointment, again (you should know by now that Coquelin is not my favorite).

As for the Gunners, this is a good opportunity to see what other CDM/CM’s can do with Coquelin’s absence. With Santi Cazorla‘s return still a question, Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka look like the starters for next season (assuming they stay healthy). Mohamed Elneny would be the next man up, but he’s basically the Egyptian Coquelin.

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Other midfielders on Arsenal’s roster include Gedion Zelalem, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Jon Toral and Glen Kamara. Zelalem, Toral and Kamara are all young and on loan. Maitland-Niles is also young but impressed in games where he has played.

However, this isn’t enough to replace Coquelin. Wenger needs to go out and buy some players. Not just one, but I would buy two.

Amid transfer links with Lyon CM Corentin Tolisso and Juventus CM Mario Lemina, Arsenal look ready to go all out this summer with good signings.

This loan move for Coquelin is exactly what the Gunners need. A year of no Coquelin, plus new possible additions to the squad. Additions that can provide both a consistent attack and play solid defense. If Arsenal want a title next season, this is the exact move they must make.

It will insert confidence to fans that the board wants change at the team. Not to forget that Tolisso has Champions League and Europa League experience. Lemina plays for a Juventus team in the Champions League final and a team on top of the Serie A table.

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It’s time to show the soccer world that the Gunners are for real, and getting rid of Coquelin (even for a year), is a solid way to start.

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