I think it’s fair to say that Arsenal fans are fairly underwhelmed by their current crop of defensive midfielders. Whilst I hate to criticise Mikel Arteta, I’m not sure that he’s a good fit for the role. He’s not great in the air and he’s not particularly pacey.
The same can also be said of Arsenal’s other option, Mathieu Flamini. The Frenchman seems to let games pass him by and at 30-years-old, I’m not sure he’s going to get any better. Even when Arsene Wenger plays both options side-by-side, The Gunners still look defensively slight.
I’d be tempted to give Francis Coquelin a run-out, or even Abou Diaby, if he’s able to prove his fitness. As this is unlikely to happen, there’s a good chance that Arsene Wenger will take to the January transfer window to try and find another option.
For the longest time, The Gunners have been linked to Real Madrid’s star defensive midfielder, Sami Khedira. Unfortunately, according to The Metro, Arsenal have ‘lost out’ on the German. That’s disappointing, but every cloud does have a silver lining.
The Metro claim that Arsenal will now turn their attention to another Real Madrid star, Asier Illarramendi. I’d argue that this deal would be even more exciting than signing Khedira.
Illarramendi made his name playing for Real Sociedad between 2009 and 2013. After that he moved to Real Madrid where he’s since made 61 appearances. Like Mikel Arteta, he’s not a huge physical presence (he’s just 5 foot 10 inches tall), but he’s a lot younger (24-years-old) and he’s a real athlete.
He’s nippy, he’s got bags of energy and he’s more defensively minded than Arteta. Luckily, he’s also capable of threading a killer pass and effecting the game in the final third.
The aforementioned source suggests that Arsenal want Illarramendi on loan with a view to a long-term deal. That sounds like a smart way of doing business. Arsene Wenger will be able to assess whether he’s a good fit for the Premier League before closing the deal.
Either way, let’s hope that The Professor has something planned for the January transfer window.
el Arteta, I’m not convinced he’s the right man for the role. Yes, he excels at keeping the ball and short passes, but he cuts a slight figure, he’s not good i
What’s your take? Is Asier Illarramendi a good option for The Gunners? Who else should they consider?
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wenger to move on hunting khedira he has quality like viera n he will help arsenal n should not sell podolski he is a good forwad who shows he can do something better to arsenal performance