After an international break that seemed to go on forever, The Gunners returned to action with as lacklustre 2-2 home draw against Hull City. For a season that started with so much promise, things are starting to peter out very quickly indeed.
It would be foolish to rule Arsenal out of the title race so early on in the season, but I wouldn’t bet on this team at the moment. Their best chances are probably in a cup competition, but they’ve already got themselves knocked out of the Capital One Cup.
I’m sure that fans can’t wait for the January transfer window to roll open, so that Arsene Wenger can make some tweaks and changes to his side. As things currently stand, it’s just not working.
This brings me to The Metro‘s claim that Arsene Wenger is ‘tracking’ Marseille’s talented midfielder, Florian Thauvin. They even carry a quote from The Professor, wherein he labels the 21-year-old, ‘one of the great hopes of French football’.
Arsene Wenger knows a huge amount about French footballers. If he’s singled Thauvin out for praise, then it’s likely for a good reason. This youngster must be the real deal. From what we’ve seen, he’s an energetic, technically gifted player, capable of moving the ball with speed and finding caps in between defenders. He’s more or less like your typical Arsenal midfielder.
At the moment he seems to be happy at Marseille, but before too long he’ll have out-grown Ligue 1 and all it’s trappings. If he really wants to make a name for himself, the best thing he can do is move to the Premier League. If Arsenal are providing him with this opportunity, why wouldn’t he go for it?
It’s not clear how much it would take to close the deal, but given how much Arsenal are charging their season ticket holders, they should be in a good position to agree terms with Marseille. Whether it’ll give them the drive they need to get back into the title race remains to be seen, but it’s a step in the right direction.
What’s your take? Would you like to see Arsenal sign Florian Thauvin?
Please follow @ThePerfectPass for more football related action!
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.