Francis Coquelin has done a good job since being brought into Arsenal’s first team, but I think that it’s fair to say that Arsenal fans are clamouring for further reinforcements in this area of the pitch. The Frenchman looks like a good fill-in option, but The Gunners other defensive midfielders are a little more inconsistent.
First there’s Mathieu Flamini, who often goes missing in big games. He’s a competitive fellow, but he’s slow and he’s not great in the air. Then there’s Mikel Arteta, who’s still a good player, but is now beginning to get on in years. Besides, it’s my feeling that the Spaniard isn’t particularly suited to the holding role.
I’d argue that Arsenal’s best solution is still to be found in the January transfer window. I’m excited to see that they’re still getting linked to Sporting Lisbon’s tenacious midfielder, William Carvalho (Source: The Metro). The Portuguese youngster strikes me as a perfect fit for The Gunners and for the Premier League in general.
At just 22-years-old, he’s already regarded as a top defender. He slams into tackles, makes plenty of interceptions and works hard to win the ball back and break up play whenever possible. On his day he can prove to be a very effective individual. He’s also a quick, accurate passer, so he can produce the goods from an attacking perspective too.
As a result, he’s managed to earn a £25m price-tag. Any Arsenal deal for this player would not come cheap. Arsene Wenger would have to be a big fan of this talent in order to put pen to paper.
But given that he can also fill in at centre-back, it strikes me that he’s the perfect fit for The Gunners. He’s not cheap, but he’s a quality option with a big future. That sounds like a worthy investment to me.
What’s your take? Is William Carvalho the perfect fit for The Gunners? Should Arsenal be looking elsewhere?
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