Arsenal fans were furious that Arsene Wenger didn’t sign an outfield player this past summer, and may be even angrier to learn that the manager had a deal to sign Morgan Schneiderlin from Southampton done and dusted before changing his mind, as reported by the Metro.
The French midfielder eventually made the move to Manchester United, but if true this report is a real blow. The Metro cites the Secret Footballer, who claims he spoke to an Arsenal scout friend of his regarding potential transfers from last summer.
The scout claims Wenger is the sole reason signings weren’t made this past summer, suggesting the manager’s indecisiveness was the cause of our inactivity.
“It’s Arsene [Wenger],” the scout allegedly said.
“He’s so indecisive it’s frightening. We had [Morgan] Schneiderlin done and dusted last January and, by the summer, the gaffer had changed his mind.”
Schneiderlin is a top quality midfielder, and would have been a fantastic signing. We currently only have Francis Coquelin really capable of performing the defensive midfield role adequately, with the likes of Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta just not up to it. An injury to the French midfielder or fatigue setting in could prove hugely costly, and if we really could have bought Schneiderlin this past summer then Wenger will have nobody to blame but himself.
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Coquelin has been fantastic since his emergence, and his Arsenal revival no doubt played a part in Wenger’s decision not to sign Schneiderlin. But how can he really think that having just one player capable of performing that role is enough?
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We are already experiencing our usual glut of injuries this season, and if it continues we can kiss goodbye to any chance we have of challenging for silverware.
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