Former French footballing legend Marcel Desailly has urged Arsenal, as well as any other high profile Premier League club, to do whatever it takes to sign defensive midfielder Yann M’Vila saying he will become even better than Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira.
Desailly claims the Premier League is the right move for the the young Frenchman saying the league will allow him to develop his skills, while his physical presence will also align well with its rougher demands.
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Rennes manager Frederic Antonetti has already stated that their midfield star will no longer be at Rennes next season with M’Vila himself stating he is tempted by a move to Arsenal, somewhat raising our hopes of landing the highly rated youngster.
Desailly said to Goal.com on M’Vila:
We hope he will come here. Arsenal is probably a stable club where he can have a bit of time or [Manchester] United where he has time to assimilate the changing of clubs and start slowly to perform.
He needs to come to the Barclays Premier League. We want him in this competition because it is the best, first of all, and he can really develop his skills. It is for players who like to play with tempo.
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You can see by the way he gets the ball, control and passes straight away. Long ball, short ball. He has that sort of rhythm that the Barclays Premier League is demanding.
He is doing too much on the field. He is defending and trying also to create and make the difference up the field. He has to reduce his commitment up the field.
He is a defensive midfielder. Fortunately or unfortunately his skills mean he can be a playmaker. Sometimes he is out of position, because he is capable of doing something else.
I would really like to, and I am planning to, get close to him and tell him, ‘No. Like a defender, first of all what is your mission? It is to defend. If you defend very well anything extra you do is fine. First of all, stick on one thing – defending very well and passing very quickly to the offensive players.
Once he will have understood that you will see he is the best midfielder – better even than Patrick Vieira.
You say potentially better than some names, some guys. Afterwards, we will see. Many people have said ‘He looks like Desailly he looks better than Desailly’.
But did he perform and get to the level? Coped with the pressure and coped with the basics? Small details is where you see if a player is capable of passing his elders.
With Arsene Wenger reportedly already trying to sign the French international the last transfer window, there is no doubt that he will attempt to the same at the end of this season. But with competition from other high profile clubs who are reportedly also after his signature it may prove to be a tough task. Hopefully the ‘French connection’ between the two will give Arsenal the edge, especially after M’Vila saying, “if the coach calls you and tells you he wants you to make you play, especially a French coach, it changes everything.”
If the highly rated youngster were to come to the Emirates, how would you position him into the team? Alex Song has been in immense form this season, particularly on the offensive. Perhaps it is time to give him more freedom up the pitch? Although in hindsight Mikel Arteta has also been integral in midfield with his distribution and tempo setting. If anything, it does raise the potential for Arsene to employ a wider range of tactics if a more defensive midfield is needed. Feel free to leave your suggestions below!
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