Arsenal: Ross Barkley can replace Santi Carzola as midfield maestro

Arsenal is reportedly in the mix for Evertonian Ross Barkley, as what could be a potential replacement for the Gunner’s wounded Midfield Maestro Santi Cazorla. However, given the Englishman’s history with injuries and interest from other clubs, can Arsenal win the race??

Santi Cazorla has always been a major part of the Arsenal line-up ever since his arrival from Malaga in 2012. However, it’s only over the last few seasons that he became an integral part of the team. With the re-addition of Francis Coquelin as a no-nonsense CDM, Cazorla found his partner and together they found their groove in the middle of the park.

However, since injuries and Arsenal go hand in hand like a walk in the park on a warm sunny day, Cazorla’s absence meant a helluva lot and without him, his other half was clueless. All this only delayed the inevitable.

For many Arsenal supporters, there is a direct link to the midseason collapse and Santi Cazorla getting injured for long periods of time. Now while it’s not true for the most part, it is also partly true in some weird way.

The diminutive Spaniard has been sensational whenever he set foot on the pitch, carrying a pass accuracy of 91% last season. That is until his untimely injury during a walkover win against Ludogorets in October. He was the puppet master, pulling and tugging strings wherever and whenever it was needed, controlling the play from the middle of the park. Then just like that, he was gone and Arsenal suffered and suffered badly as they slipped into the midst of the Europa League.

Now with news that his ankle injury is worse than many hoped it would be, the 32-year-old will supposedly be out for the entire season, and with his contract ticking down with less than a year, it means that he’s at risk of not playing at the Emirates again. Which means another dip into the transfer funds.

And it needs to be for a heir with brilliant passing and vision, combined with the touch, the intelligence and calm under pressure that Cazorla has. A difficult task, since not too many players with that specific skill set exist and the ones that do, well that’s a different question altogether.

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With Arsenal losing out on Corentin Tolisso, who made the switch for Bayern Munich instead, options are few and far too expensive. Now it looks like Arsene Wenger has turned his eyes a lot closer to home, with London Evening Standard reporting that Ross Barkley has become the latest target on Arsene Wenger’s shortlist.

The English international has refused to sign a new contract and like the fates of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, and many others, Barkley also has only twelve months left on his deal. However, Everton, despite preparing for a “no Ross Barkley future” buying both Wayne Rooney and Davy Klaassen, have gone incredibly liberal with the 23-year old’s transfer fee. It is set at a reported £50m, which in all likelihood may become half that as the transfer window turns a corner.

Yet, given Barkley’s age, playing style and position, it makes the youngish midfielder a brilliant buy despite his inconsistency and injury worries. Which only means that there are other clubs after him. This includes Manchester United, Chelsea and of course the other North London club, Tottenham.

This is what makes Ross Barkley such an interesting buy. Given Arsene Wenger’s history of turning young central midfielders into brilliant players and with Jack Wilshere potentially leaving the club, Arsenal needs someone to replace their pivot at the heart of the midfield.

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Plus there’s also the added fact that Arsenal somehow manages to steal yet another talented player from under the nose of Tottenham.

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