Arsenal: Jean-Michel Seri a nice but unnecessary alternative

Arsenal are being linked with a move for Jean-Michael Seri of Nice. The central midfielder is a nice target to pursue, but he is unnecessary. There are far superior options available, namely Leon Goretzka.

Arsenal’s pursuit for a creative midfielder is not going especially well. After securing the club-record transfer of Alexandre Lacazette, it was clear that Arsene Wenger wanted to bolster his midfield options, both centrally and out wide.

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The threat of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil leaving, alongside the consistent fitness struggles of Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere, meant that the Gunners’ midfield could be extremely depleted at certain points next season, as it was last year while Mohamed Elneny was at the African Cup of Nations.

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The man who Wenger has highlighted as the ideal recruit is Thomas Lemar. Lemar, though, is seemingly unavailable, with Monaco’s Vice President Vadim Vasilyev publicly stating that he will stay with the French club for at least another year. As such, contingency plans are having to be made, with Wenger looking elsewhere to find the creative, tempo-setting passer that he craves, whether it be from a wide or central berth.

One name that has surfaced in recent days is Nice midfielder Jean-Michael Seri. The nimble Ivory Coast international is very much built in the modern mould of a central midfielder. With great energy and athleticism, he is deceptively quick, a terrific runner, with and without the ball, with the stamina and the energy to influence the game in all areas of the pitch.

But more than being a mere athlete, Seri is an extremely good passer of the ball. Both his intelligence, his awareness and his vision to pick the right pass, and then the technical skill to then execute the pass, make him a wonderful distributor, as his eight Ligue 1 assists attribute to, alongside the athletic traits that every central midfielder must have in today’s high-paced, high-octane game.

However, while Seri is a nice alternative to Lemar as a tempo-setting distributor, he is not the necessary replacement. He is not the one player who could elevate this Arsenal team from good to great, from title hopefuls to title frontrunners. That player is Leon Goretzka, and he could well be available this summer.

There have been significant rumours suggesting that Goretzka would like to further his career by leaving Schalke, with Arsenal touted as a possible destination. The 22-year-old has been mentioned as a potential Bayern Munich recruit but if he wants regular first-team football, he would have to look elsewhere.

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Goretzka would be a sensational addition, if Wenger could pull it off. It is unlikely. But it would offer Arsenal a greater, all-round midfield talent than Seri of Nice or even Ross Barkley of Everton. It will be interesting to see how Wenger deals with his Lemar disappointment.