Arsenal: Midfield perfection comes in the form of Marco Verratti

Arsenal’s summer options are limited, but there’s no harm in setting an ideal model for every position. Marco Verratti is the ideal midfielder.

Arsenal’s need for a new midfielder may be the most crucial need of all. With so many insecurities in the middle of the pitch in terms of what is going to be relied upon around Granit Xhaka, there is plenty of room for speculation.

Max Meyer looked to be an early front-runner before he declared himself (rather oddly) for Hoffenheim. Jean-Michael Seri is another option who seems more than capable of the expectations of the role.

But, while it may seem impossible, let’s for a second think about what the model midfielder would be to suit the needs of the club to a tee. I don’t think this is a hard estimation at all – the perfect midfielder would be Marco Verratti.

There are a few key ingredients that the Gunners should be looking for in their midfield selection – tenacity on and off the ball, an unflappable desire to win the ball back and enforce the rule of law in the middle of the pitch, a commanding mentality, safety in possession, mobility.

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Verratti checks all those things off. He is a wrecker in the middle of the pitch, with gobs of other skills that meet the criteria of what Arsenal need in their midfield “solution.”

But what makes Verratti perfect is that he doesn’t just fit the role, he exceeds it. He is a threat to goal and a passing warlock, which compiles on the bare necessities and makes him a midfielder that could be so good, that he could convert a midfield three into a midfield two simply because he can and does do so much.

I understand the Unai Emery connection. Emery has a knack for bringing players from former clubs with him, as many managers do. Verratti is in the boat where he had talked about leaving PSG before, and following an old manager may float his boat. He is 25-years-old and has to recognize the limitations of PSG in building his career through his prime years.

That said, at the moment he is nothing more than the model to aspire to with whatever midfield move the club pursues. Not having Champions League football limits the Gunners ability to pull world class players like Verratti, but that doesn’t mean the seeds can’t be planted now prior to summer 2019, when he will be in that crucial stage of his contract of having just two years left.

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Pipe dream? Yes. But in terms of aspiring to greatness, this is the midfielder that we need. So get as close as possible.

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