Arsenal: The one way Marouane Fellaini can be good signing

Arsenal have been linked with current Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini. It sure has sparked an uproar. But he wouldn’t be a bad signing if for this one reason

Arsenal have sparked a serious uproar amongst fans with the link to Marouane Fellaini. The link is considered very strong with a meeting scheduled between Head Coach Unai Emery and Fellaini’s representatives sometime this week.

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Fellaini’s current contract at Manchester United expires at the end of the month, which would make him a free-agent signing with no fee necessary. Obviously, that would save funds for other potential transfers, which is perhaps the most attractive aspect of this transfer.

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Arsenal were linked with Fellaini back in 2012 and 2013 when he was still bossing the midfield for Everton under David Moyes. But with Moyes making the Belgian his first and only first-team signing of that fateful summer for United all those years ago, the United fans started to turn on him pretty quickly during the Scot’s miserable only season for the Reds, forgetting how to use a very good Premier League player for Everton and Belgium.

Now, Fellaini is seen in a negative light rather than a positive, which is one of the most impactful reasons as to why fans are baffled and angry with the club being linked with a midfielder who was constantly underperforming for United. And perhaps those detractors have a point. This is a player who is 30 years old, has proven that he cannot be relied upon to produce quality consistently in a starting role, and would most likely want close to £100,000 a week.

But let’s face it, with the shortage of defensive and central midfielders both at the club and available in the transfer market, bringing in an experienced international who has 16 goals in 81 appearances for Belgium would be a good deal IF — ‘if’ being the operative word of this sentence — he isn’t bought as the only cover for the midfield.

If Arsenal were to go out and buy a player like Corentin Tolisso or William Carvalho from Sporting Lisbon or Lucas Torreira or Jean Michael Seri or Danilo Pereira, then the arrival of Fellaini would not leave such a sour taste for the Gunner faithful.

The former Everton man can’t be bought in as the only midfielder for the upcoming season as he does not offer the defensive security that is needed for the midfield. He is instead a secondary attacking option when all else has failed, which is absolutely useful if he is signed in that capacity. The fear is that the club sees him as something that he isn’t.

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Arsenal must dish out and buy a big-name midfielder to partner or cover the defensive hole Granit Xhaka has been struggling with so often. If they do that, then bringing Fellaini in would also be a good move. But that is the only way.