Last summer, Arsene Wenger dedicated a lot of time to chasing Bayern Munich’s talented defensive midfielder, Luiz Gustavo. In the end a deal never happened and the Brazilian ended up moving to another Bundesliga side, Wolfsburg.
At the time, it seemed like a strange occurrence. Why did a man who had interest from a top Premier League side opt to move to a mid-table Bundesliga team? Perhaps Arsenal’s interest wasn’t as strong as it first appeared. Perhaps he felt like he wouldn’t get regular first team opportunities at the Emirates (what with the World Cup coming up and all). Or perhaps Wolfsburg just offered more money.
Either way, I’m sure that Gustavo wishes that he made a different decision. Arsenal are currently competing for the Premier League title, whilst Wolfsburg are 14 points off the top of the Bundesliga table.
Interestingly enough, there’s already a fair amount of speculation regarding his future. Arsenal are still thought to be sniffing around and The Metro also claims that Barcelona are in the running. Check out these quotes from Luiz Gustavo himself:
“It is always good to have your name linked to Barcelona. This is the third time there has been interest from them. I have a long contract with a buyout clause and if anyone wants to meet it they can sign me.”
The man’s clearly been keeping track of who’s interested in him and who’s not. It’s also worth noting that he’s not being particularly respectful of his current employers here. I can’t help but wonder if he’s itching for a move away.
Arsenal may already have Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta, but Barcelona have both Sergio Busquets, Javier Mascherano and (ex-Arsenal star) Alex Song. It’s worth bearing in mind that neither Flamini or Arteta are spring chickens. They’re both getting on in years and the Spaniard probably should be playing further up the pitch.
I certainly wouldn’t complain if Arsenal were to sign another player in this position. Luiz Gustavo is a world class holding midfielder and would probably excel in the Premier League. There’s no word as to what his buyout clause amounts to, but I’m sure that the Gunners can afford to trigger it.
What’s your take? Should Arsenal move back in for Luiz Gustavo, or do they already have enough options in this area?
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