Arsenal: The silver lining of failed Fabinho attempts

Arsenal reportedly failed with a late attempt to prise Fabinho away from a move to Liverpool. While their failure is sad, it does present a silver lining: the club recognises the need for a defensive midfielder.

There is no position that I would rather see Arsenal invest in than the defensive midfield position this summer. That is a stance that many others agree with. While there are other areas of the squad that are in serious need of investment — goalkeeper, centre-half, full-back, winger –, it is defensive midfield that I most want to see addressed.

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It was a little disappointing, then, to see one of the leading options be taken off the table this early in the summer. On Monday night, Liverpool officially announced the signing of Monaco midfielder Fabinho in a deal worth approximately £40 million depending on the satisfaction of certain clauses.

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Fabinho is a striding, strong, rangy midfielder. He breaks up play routinely, he is comfortable in possession, he is positionally versatile, as Jurgen Klopp highlighted in the club’s unveiling of him, and he has the defensive acumen to anchor the midfield and provide balance to a team. He would have been the perfect player for Arsenal to acquire this summer and complement the more attacking midfielders around them.

And there are suggestions that the Gunners did make a late move for the Brazilian. I do not know if this is true or not, but it could certainly have some level of credence. That only makes it more disappointing that he will not be plying his trade in north London next season. But there is a silver lining to be found.

The need for a defensive midfielder is not a new one. Ever since the easing out of Gilberto Silva over a decade ago, Arsenal have failed to provide a balance at the heart of their midfield. The inability and reluctance to acquire a solution to a gaping problem has been one of the most infuriating aspects of the latter decade of Arsene Wenger’s tenure.

So while missing out on Fabinho is frustrating, it does at least suggest, if true, that the club is looking for options at the position. Oftentimes, under Wenger, it seemed as if he did not even know that lacking a true defensive midfielder was an issue. Sometimes, he didn’t even try to fix it. Here, at least the club is aware of their issue. The first step to solving any problem is recognising that you have one. Arsenal, it seems have got that far.

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Fabinho is not the only option. There are others. We will have to wait until the end of the summer window to properly judge the new regime’s work. But at least in trying to sign Fabinho, if true, we know that they know where their problems lie. It may only be some comfort, but hopefully it means that further work will come in this area soon.