Arsenal fans may well remember Yann M’Vila. After all, the Press linked the French midfielder to the Gunners for the best part of an entire summer this year and at one stage it looked like a deal was sure to happen.
As these things are want to do, the move (if Arsenal were ever interested) must have fallen apart.
In my opinion, this was a mistake.
You look at the state of this current Arsenal midfield and for all the talent, all the ability and all the creativity, it’s clear that something’s missing.
Jack Wilshere, Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla can pass the ball about as quickly and stridently as they like, but none of the players are real ‘ball winners’. None of them are going to stride forward with the ball at their feet and use their physicality to hold opposition players off.
Abou Diaby is the type of player who can do this. Unfortunately, he’s a long-term crock and doesn’t seem to have much of a future on a football pitch (a sad thing for sure, given his talent). Yann M’Vila, a strong, powerful French defensive midfielder may have made all the difference this season.
Arsenal have lost to teams like Swansea City, Norwich City and Bradford City because they are unable to dominate opposition midfields. Yet now we’re hearing (courtesy of French website Mercato365), that Arsenal sent scouts to watch Yann M’Vila play against Valenciennes in a Rennes shirt recently.
This for me is good news. It shows that Wenger is at least aware that his midfield needs more balance. And should he take a gamble on M’Vila, I think he’d have made the right choice. At 22-years-old, he’s certainly one for the future, but he’s already developed enough to add something to this Arsenal side.
Yes, he can win the ball, hold the ball and barrage through the midfield, but he can also spray the ball about nicely, pick out decent paces and get attacks moving. He’s the kind of player that tends to fit into Arsenal sides nicely – an all-rounder, albeit one that leans more on the defensive aspects of the game.
He’s not a wanderer like Alex Song was. He’s a sensible player (most of the time!). So let’s hope that Wenger makes good on last summer’s interest.
What’s your take? Should Arsenal re-ignite their interest in this French talent?
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Pls wenger go and sign m’villa this january. Up Gurnner
Just sign the damn player…enuf of forth already!!
This French guy will sure bring the much needed balance into Wenger’s midfield. Wenger can work on his discipline like he did with RVP.
Even if i say let him who will do that? But wenger is not going to makes the fans always as we knows like last month he says he want to sign Cavani. But now Cavani is not even in arsenal remouror.