Arsenal: Steven N’Zonzi arrival ushers key change

Steven N’Zonzi has reportedly arrived in London to try and secure a January move to Arsenal. His potential signing ushers a change to the heart of the Gunners’ midfield.

Arsenal have a problem. In fact, they have many problems, but I will not tread down that dark and dreary path now. This problem is a tactical one, spurred by the wrong personnel playing in the wrong position. It has undermined the foundations of the team; it has not been highlighted or addressed for many years, despite the seemingly obvious signposts.

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I am, of course, talking about their defensive midfield issues. Ever since the fazing out of Gilberto Silva in the aftermath of the Invincible’s team, Arsene Wenger has failed to correctly acquire a player capable of anchoring his midfield. It is not for the want of trying, even if his trying has been somewhat misguided.

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There has been a whole host of different players thrust into the position, from the technical generals like Mikel Arteta to the powerful bruisers like Alex Song and Francis Coquelin. The current experimentee is Granit Xhaka, a player who does have certain traits that make his fielding there attractive. His range of passing, his physical nature, his vision on the ball, his ability to marshal the midfield and those around him. But, in a little over a season at the position, there have been some key shortcomings exposed that he, and thereby the team, have been unable to overcome.

The most damaging one is his lack of athleticism. Given Arsenal’s penchant for attacking, fluid football, often times, there are vast spaces vacated in defensive zones, meaning that whoever is tasked with shielding the defence from a counter-attack has a lot of ground to cover. Xhaka has proven that he lacks the required mobility to cover such ground. He is often forced into rash challenges and over-eager decisions because he realises that, if he defends the situation conservatively, he will be simply run out of the action.

That is why the potential signing of Steven N’Zonzi is such an exciting one. The Sevilla midfielder has fallen out of love with the club after being hauled off against Liverpool in the Champions League earlier this year. There have been reports of a rift between him and his manager, Eduardo Berizzo, and it is now believed that they are willing to let him leave, with the towering, rangy midfielder allegedly arriving in London on Monday night in search of a January destination.

N’Zonzi would be the perfect replacement, and potential partner, for Xhaka. It would allow the Swiss international to be entrusted with a more creative, quarterback-type role that suits his skill set far better, restricting his defensive responsibilities and providing with an athletic partner who can cover the ground that he struggles to reach.

His signing would also represent a shift from Wenger in his approach to the midfield. He has previously focused on technically gifted, creative, intelligent footballers. While N’Zonzi does have some elements of positional awareness, he is far from a sound technician on the ball. He relies far more on his physical gifts. But that shift is exactly what Arsenal need. A complementary piece to their midfield has been missing for many, many painful years.

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N’Zonzi may or may not sign for Arsenal. Only time will tell, and there is sure to be more reports delineating one way or another of his impending arrival in North London. But he is the type of player that Wenger should be pursuing. He is what this team needs. Whether they will get it, though, is far less clear.