With the January window now in full swing, Arsenal have the opportunity to reinforce their thin squad. Even with some of thier star players returning from injury, most notably Ramsey and Özil, I would be surprised if at least two new additions weren’t added during the window. As you would expect, the club has been linked with obscure young talents from across Europe but there has also been reported interest in more established players such as Morgan Schneiderlin and Petr Čech. While both these players would be quality additions, the most exciting rumor has to be The Independent’s report of a £64m bid for Real Madrid’s Isco.
Francisco Román Alarcón Suárez, or simply Isco, is Spain’s finest young talent and at the age of 22, his already refined game still has plenty of room to develop. His combination of unbelievable close control and quick turns make him a nightmare to play against. His distribution and highly accurate passing make him a joy to play with. On top of this, he has an eye for goal but will always favor the pass over shooting. In essence, he is a highly creative attacking midfielder with good pace and nearly unlimited potential. The only weaknesses in his game is his small stature but as history has shown that makes little difference when you’re supremely talented.
Isco’s breakout season came with Malaga in 2012/2013 when he scored twelve goals and provided one assist, helping spearhead Malaga’s impressive run to the quarter finals of the Champions League. They eventually lost to Borussia Dortmund over two legs but it took a last second goal and a miracle come back to end their European campaign. That summer Isco was courted by numerous top clubs but eventually decided to join Real Madrid for a fee the BBC reported to be around £23m. With Pellegrini making a move to Manchester City that same summer, there were thoughts he would link up with his old manger in the Premier League but ultimately Real Madrid proved to be more tempting.
Before signing for Real Madrid, Isco stated he was reluctant to join a major club because he feared his development would be stunted due to a lack of playing time. Isco’s first season with the club was a success, as he scored eight goals and provided six assists, which is a decent haul for a young midfielder in his debut season. However, the majority of his appearances came from off the bench, as Ancelotti struggled to find a place for him in his favored 4-3-3 formation. With Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Di María, Alonso, and Modrić occupying the six spots in the midfield and attack, the task of breaking into the starting line-up was always going to be difficult.
Ancelotti’s tendency to field four attacking players, meant it was necessary to have two holding midfielders. Thus, in order to make it into the starting lineup, Isco would have to out-perform Bale or Di Maria. Di María was having the best season of his career while Bale had recently become the world’s most expensive player, which made the task nearly impossible. That season Real Madrid won their tenth Champions League title with Isco coming on in 59th minute. All though he was lifting the most prestigious trophy in world football, it must have been bitter sweet as he knew he had only played a peripheral role and still not made it into the first team.
Over the summer Real Madrid signed Toni Kroos and World Cup star James Rodriguez, while selling Di María to Manchester United. Kroos being a holding midfielder would not be in direct completion with Isco but James, a player with similar characteristics and a transfer fee of £63m would most likely be favored over Isco. When a club spends that much money on a player, the manager feels a certain kind of pressure to play him whether he admits it or not. With that said, Isco would have to play second fiddle to James and would once again have to accept his role as an impact player coming off the bench.
During the present campaign, Isco has started seventeen of Real Madrid’s twenty seven games. This number has been slightly inflated due to injuries to Gareth Bale and most recently Luka Modrić. While filling in for Bale over a five game stretch, Isco played very well and had a large influence on the team’s success. However, when Bale returned from injury on November 8th, he once again found himself on the bench. Luka Modrić, who suffered an injury on November 16th, while playing for Croatia, isn’t expected back until February, so there’s a good chance Isco will continue to start more games. So far his creative link up play and his ability to maintain possession has yielded him two goals and five assists.
When playing weaker teams in the La Liga, Ancelotti tends to favor starting both Isco and James in his midfield three with either Kroos or Khedira playing the holding role. When up against the bigger teams, he chooses to go with only one attacking midfielder and tends to favor James. Marco Reus continues to be linked with the club and if they do in fact bring him in over the summer you would imagine they would be forced to sell one of their prized assets. Isco appears the most likely to be sacrificed, as he would command a large transfer fee and plenty of teams would be interested in signing the young Spaniard. Being a utility player is simply not good enough for a player of Isco’s quality and I can’t help but think he feels the same way.
Isco’s playing style would make him a natural fit at Arsenal. He’s a goal scoring midfielder with excellent ball distribution which makes him extremely valuable. All though Arsenal is already gifted with a talented midfield, Isco has the potential to become a world class player and appears to be there for the taking. At the age of 22, he could be the creative force that helps drive Arsenal forward for the next decade. Adding a couple of center backs should be the club’s top priority but if Wenger feels like Real are willing to sell he shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
