Moussa Sissoko is by no means the answer to Arsenal’s defensive frailties.
The France international offers pace and power in abundance, but his domineering physicality has proved far more successful in attacking capacities throughout his Premier League career, last season finding six assists as Newcastle’s unorthodox right winger and this term serving the Magpies almost as a poor man’s Yaya Toure, a battering ram of brawn just in front of the midfield.
That being said, he would offer the Gunners a much-needed sense of dynamism in the middle of the park, offering equally as much going forward as towards his own goal, and that diversity alone could make a huge difference in an increasingly one-dimensional Arsenal midfield.
Judging from recent transfer habits, one assumes Mike Ashley won’t put up much of a fight if he’s approached with a decent offer – around the £10million-£15million mark – this summer, but the 25 year-old’s cumbersome nature could see him struggle for compatibility with Arsenal’s more technical players.