Arsenal have opened talks to bring French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin to the club, goal.com is reporting.
We’ve all heard about us being linked with Sami Khedira, and of course the players wage demands which have allegedly put a spanner in the works. Arsene Wenger is now believed to have lost all hope of bringing Khedira to the Emirates and has instead turned his attention to the Frenchman, who he believes is the ideal player to anchor his midfield.
This move doesn’t come as a shock to Arsenal fans. Firstly, Arsene Wenger has really shook off his reputation for penny pinching this summer, splashing out £35,000,000 on Alexis Sanchez, and £12,000,000 on Mathieu Debuchy. As well as that, it is well known among Arsenal fans that the defensive midfield area is one that needs reinforcements.
This summer, we have been linked with a host of experienced players this summer, including Javi Martinez, Lars Bender and Sami Khedira, but it is believed that Wenger has decided upon Schneiderlin, perhaps due to his reduced price, with Southampton’s valuation of the player believed to be around the £15,000,000 mark. It is believed that it would cost more than £20,000,000 to bring any of the others to Arsenal.
However, despite Arsenal wanting the transfer, Southampton are likely to be reluctant to sanction the sale. Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana, who featured for England at the FIFA World Cup, have already been sold to Liverpool, while centre back Dejan Lovren, who also featured in Brazil for Croatia, is desperate to follow.
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However, Schneiderlin has expressed his desire to leave Southampton. Last month the 24 year old said
I’ve been there for a long time now. We’ll see how things go, but the directors know my position and what my intentions are.
Everyone has ambitions, everyone has his own future in his hands, so we’ll see. Every player wants to play on big occasions.
Goal also reports that Arsenal have been keeping a close eye on him since Southampton gained promotion to the Premier League back in 2012, proving that Wengers knack for spotting little known, young French talents – which had almost become synonymous with Arsenal during his early years at the club – has not completely been lost.
The French midfielder has been a key player for the Saints since joining them from Strasbourg in 2008 and has made 205 league appearances for them , often pairing with Jack Cork or Victor Wanyama in the midfield, behind Jay Rodriguez, Adam Lallana and Gaston Ramirez.
His attributes make him ideally suited for Arsenal. He is a good passer, completing 89% of his passes last season. Not only is he effective at ensuring Arsenal keep hold of the ball, he is also useful with it, creating chances from a deeper position. Last season he created 30 goal scoring opportunities for his team mates. This could be extremely useful for Arsenal next season, as in previous years we have often been criticized for being one dimensional and flat in some games. His creativity from deeper positions will ensure that this no longer happens.
However, Schneiderlin can also hold his own physically. He won 87 tackles last season, averaging 2.64 per game, whilst winning 61% of his aerial duels. Arsenal are no longer a physical team with the likes of Vieira, Petit and Keown kicking the opposition twice as hard as they got kicked, so Schneiderlin would go a long way to ensure that Arsenal aren’t over powered by the likes of Stoke, West Ham and Crystal Palace.
So Gooners, how do you feel about us opening talks with Schneiderlin? Would he be beneficial for us? Post your thoughts below.
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