Arsenal: Best and worst transfer solutions at each position of need
By Josh Sippie
Central Midfield—Worst
As mentioned with the centerbacks, there haven’t been a lot of bad ideas with the central midfield. I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by those in charge, that they’re going after sensible, practical choices. It’s like bad transfer rumors (Chris Smalling notwithstanding) are a thing of the past.
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As such, picking a “worst” of the central midfield was tough, but I have to go with Carlos Soler. Again, I am not opposed to signing Carlos Soler, I am just wary of a guy that costs £30m who doesn’t stand out as a clear solution.
The one thing Soler does consistently well is retaining possession, but we already have Xhaka, who is a seasoned pro that’s been through the gauntlet for that skill. Unless Soler has some other upside that just hasn’t happened yet, I can’t see any justification for spending much more than half of that asking price, solely as a project for the midfield.
That’s the thing, he isn’t a solution. I wouldn’t mind signing him, because I trust Arteta’s judgment, but I hope he wouldn’t be the only incoming midfielder.
On to the best of the attacking midfield.