Arsenal: Blaise Matuidi transfer worth the inevitable shake up

Arsenal are supposedly being offered players to entice a sale of Alexis Sanchez. None of that matters, but Blaise Matuidi is absolutely something to consider.

The future of Alexis Sanchez has never been more unclear and until he locks into a new deal with Arsenal, we won’t know a damn thing. But that won’t stop the transfer rumors from pouring in and I have to hand it to the latest speculation, they are getting creative.

According to France Football journalist Nabil Djellit, the good-ole swap deal is being proposed by PSG. Which is funny because I can count the number of major swap deals that have happened over the past decade on one finger. And I wouldn’t even need to deploy that one finger. Yet Arsenal seemed to be linked to such deals more than any other club.

Still, this proposed swap deal did jog my memory about a really enticing option out there that isn’t getting the exploration it deserves – and that is that PSG still look very willing to part with Blaise Matuidi.

The midfielder with the most enjoyable last name in the world to say may be 30 years old, but a bit of experience is never a bad thing. And while I often crap all over Ligue 1, Matuidi hasn’t just had success in Ligue 1. He has had remarkable success in the Champions League too, where he has totaled six goals and 11 assists in his last four Champions League seasons.

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Going even farther than that, his defensive numbers between the Champions League and Ligue 1 are damn near indistinguishable.

Meaning that the Matuidi that we see in Ligue 1 is the Matuidi that Arsenal would get.

We all accept that there is certainly some room to improve in the midfield, mainly in the depth options, and Matuidi provides that ‘something different’ that I have been harping for. And while I would still much rather prefer Leon Goretzka, the French option is solid.

Matuidi can play that deep-lying role and be the pivot that turns defense into attack. Just like Santi Cazorla did and just like Miralem Pjanic can do. And he has that upside that William Carvalho doesn’t have of being able to pester opposing defenses, both with his athleticism and with his ability to score goals.

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At 30, he wouldn’t give the Gunners much more than a couple of years, but that’s all they would need. They won’t always have to land long-term options. Sometimes it’s okay to just think about the here and now.

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