Arsenal: Ever Banega insistence has to count for something

Arsenal are still pining for Ever Banega, apparently, and while he doesn’t evoke a lot of excitement, the insistence on him certainly does something like that.

There are certain players you just have to have. Guys that will change the world for your club. For Arsenal, those were such guys as Alexandre Lacazette, who they spent three summers trying to wrap up (although it didn’t need to be so difficult)

Ever Banega doesn’t feel like one of those guys. He is, for all intents and purposes, a good player, with good attributes, who is a rotational option at best, maybe a low-end starter if someone is hurt. There is a value in a player like that. 30-years-old, has a good resume (there’s that word again, ‘good’) and figures to be a solid, reliable guy.

But Unai Emery, according to reports, is just dying to have Banega on his team. Well, on his team again. These reports indicate that since Raul Sanllehi is taking over, Emery has already been in his ear, asking for a reunion with the Sevilla man, who has been an anchor in their midfield going back to when Emery was making headway with the Spanish side.

There is enough reason to be pleased with the link. Banega is reliable. He plays defense well, passes well, control the ball well and could be an excellent Torreira tutor, or perhaps a Mohamed Elneny type, who is there for safety. But the insistence on having him seems to hint at something bigger. Like Emery sees him as some sort of completion to a puzzle he can’t solve.

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Which is where I start to get excited. This midfield is in a good place, and it’s getting better. The partnership of Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira is a beautiful thing, and the hovering presence of Matteo Guendouzi has the team set for the long-term. But there is a keen veteran presence lacking, like a Lichtsteiner for the midfield, and I wonder if Emery sees Banega as that guy.

The Argentine has vast amounts of experience and 30 really isn’t that old. If anyone can provide a guiding light for the Gunners, while simultaneously challenging for first team minutes, why can’t it be him? As long as his long-time partnership with Emery doesn’t interfere with this budding Torreira/Xhaka partnership. Maybe he is meant to be the partner for Guendouzi, and grant him the freedom to roam that he so wants to have.

Whatever the case, Emery knows his stuff, and if he is this insistent on landing Banega, than he has my attention, and he should have yours too. I am finding myself trusting Emery far sooner than I thought I would. I think that’s a good thing.