Why it’s about time that Arsenal made this signing:

It strikes me that Arsene Wenger made three mistakes last summer and that Arsenal have been struggling all season as a result.

The first was not to sign an experienced keeper. Whilst the fans love Wojciech Szczesny, his inexperience has been costly.

The second was not to replace Robin Van Persie with a player of equal quality. Say what you will about Olivier Giroud (he’s a bit of a marmite man) but he’s just not on the same level as the Dutchman.

The third and final mistake, was not to replace Alex Song.

I know that Alex Song had his detractors amongst the Arsenal faithful, but he did fulfill a valuable function for the Gunners. He was an athletic presence in the centre of the park, hustling opposition players and snapping into tackles.

Yes, he had a frustrating tendency of wandering up the pitch and shirking his defensive duties, but Arsenal were a much more balanced side with him in the first team than without him.

Despite this, the Cameroon star was shipped off to Barcelona last summer in a £15m deal. His career has since taken a nosedive and Arsenal have struggled to cope defensively without him.

It baffles me why Arsene Wenger chose not to sign another defensive midfielder, either last summer or last January. Instead, he’s stuck with playing Mikel Arteta in a holding role, where he doesn’t exactly thrive.

And now, according to The Star, Arsene Wenger will turn down an opportunity to re-sign Song and will turn his attention to Celtic’s dynamic young talent, Victor Wanyama.

This, for my money, is a good move. Victor Wanyama is just the player Arsenal need. He’s a more disciplined, defensive minded version of Alex Song (I liken him to Newcastle’s Cheick Tiote). Sure, he picks up a lot of yellow cards, but he rarely has a quiet game and can often intimidate opponents with his no nonsense approach.

He also wont break the bank. The Star claim that a £10m bid will be enough to persuade Celtic to sell, and it’s likely that the player himself would fancy a move to a top club like Arsenal.

What’s more, he’s young. At 21-years-old, he’s only going to get better. He may only be worth £10m now, but that figure could double over the next couple of years. Now would be an excellent time for Arsenal to invest.

What’s your take? Would Victor Wanyama restore balance in the Arsenal midfield?

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