The Arsenal midfield is comfortably the strongest of the four areas on the pitch from an Arsenal perspective, an attacking array of talents including Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Alexis Sanchez, Jack Wilshere and many more mean that from a forward-thinking perspective, Arsenal are sorted.
What about defensively? Francis Coquelin has been fantastic and is a certain starter, but that’s it. Mikel Arteta is ageing, Mathieu Flamini is not the player he was in his first stint at the club and for those exact reasons, Arsenal need more steel and protection in midfield, someone who can go in and sit right next to Francis Coquelin to make the midfield force one to be reckoned with.
Coquelin and Santi Cazorla have a partnership that has flourished, and despite impressing thoroughly with his performances from a deep-lying playmaker role in midfield, Arsenal need more than Santi Cazorla can offer from a defensive perspective.
I identify five realistic midfield targets and discuss reasons why Arsene Wenger should consider making a move for them.
1. Morgan Schneiderlin
Morgan Schneiderlin is the most realistic and probable of any potential signing Arsenal may make in midfield this summer. The Frenchman is exactly the sort of player Arsenal need to dominate midfield battles, defensively sound while offering a great range of passing and composure, perhaps no midfielder would compliment the Arsene Wenger system more than Schneiderlin.
We broke news on Monday that Schneiderlin has confirmed he is looking for a move away from Southampton, but aspires to remain in England and join a club amongst the UEFA Champions League positions. Chelsea and Manchester United are reportedly also interested, but it would be surprising if the Arsenal boss decided to miss out on the opportunity of signing the talented box-to-box midfielder.
At only 25 years-old, Schneiderlin has his best years ahead of him and is the perfect final ingredient for Arsenal’s marvelous midfield.
2. Geoffrey Kondogbia
The man that came to the Emirates Stadium with Monaco and overran the Arsenal midfield is another target Arsene Wenger should consider. The French boss loves Ligue 1 and he will have watched Kondogbia play on a number of occasions at both Sevilla and his current side.
Kondogbia is well known for his strength, tireless running, and ability to stay disciplined and provide protection to the defence. Alongside Coquelin, the two French midfielders could prove a fantastic duo for the Gunners.
At only 22 years-old, Kondogbia is a player with his best years ahead of him and may be an investment that Arsene Wenger needs to think about. A French international, the Monaco man commanded a £19m move away from Sevilla in 2013, signing a five-year contract at the time and therefore has three years remaining on his current deal.
If the Arsenal boss is interested in prizing away a midfielder with the exact array of talent’s and natural abilities that the club could benefit from, he will need to pay a large sum of money to cash-rich Monaco.
3. Marco Verratti
One of the most sought after midfielders in world football is PSG’s Marco Verratti. The Italy international is a little more unlikely than the aforementioned Schneiderlin and Kondogbia, but would remain an unbelievable signing for Arsene Wenger to make.
Tidy and clever on the ball, Verratti provides the calm and composed head that Arsene Wenger dreams about having in midfield. Often compared to international teammate and football great Andrea Pirlo, Verratti is known for his great on the ball ability, eye of the needle passing and maturity.
The Italian star is 22 years-old, with his best years ahead of him and is 5″4, much smaller than all of the other identified targets, but as he proved with PSG against Chelsea in the Champions League earlier this season, his height is no barrier and he can comfortably dominate midfields with help from his teammates.
Verratti is valued upwards of £40m, but the club would certainly be re-paid with the number of top quality performances he would be able to produce over the next 6-8 years.
PSG have no reason to sell Verratti, with the club well positioned financially and the Italian recently signing a four-year contract extension in December, but should the circumstance change, Arsene Wenger would be silly to not at least consider a bid for the midfielder.
4. Ilkay Gundogan
The German midfielder is a fantastic footballer, but has had his fair share of injury problems in the past and is only now getting back to his best after over a year out of action. A perfect example of the box-to-box midfield type, Gundogan is 24 years-old and little over a month ago, in a club statement confirmed that he is looking for a move away from his current side after a very poor season.
Despite strong reports linking Gundogan with a move to Manchester United, nothing is confirmed on the situation yet and Arsene Wenger may well be interested in making a move for the German international.
Again, a tidy player on the ball, with unbelievable amounts of potential going forward and an already composed head defensively, Gundogan is set to have a pick of interested clubs in his signature as the summer transfer window opens in less than two weeks.
The midfielder will cost in the region of £15-20m, a good investment for a player that will without doubt repay his suitors if he can remain fit.
5. Arturo Vidal
The Juventus and Chile midfielder would provide an absolutely unbelievable coup for Arsene Wenger. Reports linking the club to the UEFA Champions League finalist have been fierce in the last few days, with THC breaking the news that Vidal to Arsenal may well be agreed.
As far as complete midfielders go, Vidal is amongst the greatest. A good defender, attacking midfielder, comfortable on the ball, fantastic passing ability, a goal scorer and perhaps most important of all a real leader, Vidal signing for Arsenal would prove one of the top signings of the summer.
Arsenal fans may identify this one as unrealistic, but with Vidal having the same agent as fellow countryman Alexis Sanchez, it may be a very plausible signing. Juventus have a fantastic team that may be stripped apart if they cannot afford to pay high wage demands that stars such as Carlos Tevez, Vidal and Paul Pogba will demand; especially if they win Europe’s top competition on 6th June.
A bid of roughly £25m is believed to be enough to prize the Juve star away from Turin and it is one that Arsene Wenger must consider if the opportunity arises.
Other options that may be less likely:
– Paul Pogba is a mega talent and this season will likely be his last at Juventus. Only 22 years-old and likely to become the world’s most expensive midfielder this summer, Pogba has a choice of clubs awaiting him including Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City. A great potential signing, but a very unlikely and unaffordable one for the Gunners.
– Assier Illarramendi claimed that he would like to stay at Real Madrid, but the Spaniard has started on only 12 occasions for Los Blancos this season, a very small number for a footballer with so much ability and potential waiting to be unlocked. The Spanish starlet may be the most complimentary midfield partner of any to Francis Coquelin due to his love of passing the ball long from deep lying positions.
Whether or not Wenger believes Illarramendi is a good enough investment after two consecutive seasons without regular first team football is something he and has management team will have to be decide on.
– Kevin Strootman is a Dutch international linked heavily with Premier League rivals Manchester United, but injury problems over the last couple of years have meant that he has been limited to only seven appearances for Roma this season. Despite playing so little football, the Roma midfielder is one of the most sought after and names amongst the players in this list, but will cost upwards of £35m due to his current contract not ending until at least the summer of 2018.
– Miralem Pjanic is another Roma midfielder who would fit well into the Arsenal system. Likely to move to Manchester City this summer for a fee in the region of £37m, the Bosnian midfielder is great both on and off the ball and is deadly from set pieces.
– Sami Khedira is reportedly on his way to Juventus in a move that could pave the way for Arturo Vidal to move to Arsenal, but if reports are false then Arsenal making a move for the 28 year-old German international may be ‘the next best’ option. Post-2014 World Cup in Brazil, it seemed certain that Khedira was set to make a move to Arsenal, but the transfer move did not come off in the end for one reason or another and the Real Madrid man ended up staying at the Spanish club for another season.
With Khedira’s contract at an end and a choice of many clubs at his disposal, Arsene Wenger may well be interested in a move for the German now that he will be able to join as a free agent.
Last week we took a look at the strikers who could join Arsenal this summer and next week we’ll take a look at the defenders Arsenal could sign, but until then, which of the above do you want the club to take a look at? Let us know in the comments section below.
