Arsenal: Jean-Michael Seri links didn’t bode well anyway

Arsenal have their fresh helping of midfielders going into next season, and it’s such a fresh helping that any more has to mean something rather negative.

Arsenal‘s midfield is set, and it’s a beautiful thing. Assuming they run with a midfield three, which seems like a safe assumption given how many midfielders populate the position, we can expect to see Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka backed by Lucas Torreira.

Like I said, it’s a beautiful thing. And behind that, we will have the growing dynamism of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, the never-say-die attitude of Mohamed Elneny and the incoming Matteo Guendouzi, who looks as promising as they come for a 19-year-old.

That is all that’s needed. It’s a surplus, even. There is no reason to be linked with a Steven N’Zonzi. Nor was there any reason for Jean-Michael Seri, who has since been supposedly sealed by Fulham, of all places.

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The only reason this link would be coming up again is if there is bad news coming on the other side of it. Bad news, as in that Aaron Ramsey is off to another team.

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I can’t express enough how important it is to keep the Welshman. No matter what he wants to be paid (it will be within reason), just pay it. Because you can’t replace him like you would someone else. There is that heroic side of him that so few players have, let alone midfielders.

If Seri is coming in, that means that Ramsey is going out, because there’s just nowhere else to put him. I can’t see Seri or Torreira joining up, knowing that there is only one open slot for them. And I can’t imagine Xhaka signing a new deal knowing that he is being replaced.

The midfield puzzle is complete – it’s that simple. Any more additions would be stray pieces that don’t fit within the borders of the completed puzzle. So you’d have to take out a piece. The thing is that Ramsey’s piece is a bit more specific than anyone else’s, so there would be no simple fix. It would probably be a long-term fix involving a lot of trial and error.

Seri is a good player, don’t get me wrong, but every time he is tied to Arsenal, I can’t help but fear the loss of our Welsh Xavi. Nothing is worth that. That’s no indictment on Seri, it’s just high praise of Ramsey, who well and truly deserves it.

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It’s a bit concerning that Ramsey hasn’t signed a new deal yet. There’s no hiding from that. It remains the last unchecked box of this summer transfer window.