Many fans are still on cloud 9 after the very impressive addition of Chilean superstar Alexis Sanchez and it looks like Wenger is not finished there. Following the confirmation of the Sanchez deal Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis was caught eluding to a possibility of another big signing, most likely a defensive midfielder.
There have been a few names linked in recent weeks the main four Luiz Gustavo (Wolfsburg), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Paul Pogba (Juventus) and Arturo Vidal (Juventus) have all been on show this Summer at the World Cup in Brazil and this has been a good opportunity for all to cast the eye of the talent.
Luiz Gustavo
The Brazilian holding midfield player nearly signed for Arsenal back in August 2013 before decided to stay in the Bundesliga and complete his moved to Wolfsburg from Bayern Munich. He would add some real stability to the midfield by protecting the back four something that the team has lacked for many a season. His main strengths are intercepting opponents attacks and keeping possession which I would say are the two most important things first and foremost in a defensive midfielder. Gustavo has a minimum fee release clause of £26 million and at the age of 26 years of age could be a very good piece of business.
Sami Khedira
To say I am a Khedira fan is a massive understatement. He is a no thrills midfield player who keeps the Germany midfield ticking, as was on show in his teams annihilation of hosts Brazil. Khedira stole the show that night he was a wall to the Brazilian attackers, which enabled his attack minded teammates to really humiliate their opponents. Khedira admittedly is more of a box to box midfielder but the difference between him and most other similar midfielders is that he knows when to go and when to hold, this is a trait that is invaluable. Khedira is one of the best readers of the game I have ever seen. Khedira only played 13 games this season due to tearing his Anterior Cruciate Ligament which put his World Cup in jeopardy, he recovered sooner than expected and has been an integral part in Germany reaching the World Cup final. Reports have suggest that Wenger has already tabled a bid of around £23 million which for would be a bargain. Taking into consideration that Khedira only has one more year on his contract and has rejected two contract offers from Madrid already, the Spanish outfit are not left with much choice but to sell him this window.
Paul Pogba
Pogba is a midfielder that has absolutely everything to his game, he definitely reminds me of a young Patrick Vieira but maybe has a bit more to his game. The Juventus midfielder is accomplished at either end of the field and you can understand why his club’s valuation is north of £60 million. As former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira has said “Pogba is the future”, that much is clear. He has a great balance between aggression and creativity. Unfortunately he is not a realistic option as I can not see Juventus seriously considering selling their biggest asset and Pogba seems very happy in Italy. The Frenchman who was unbelievably let go by Manchester United back in 2012 has made no secret of his bad time in England and I would be surprised to see him step on these shores again. In his own words he was “disrespected” that now looks like a massive mistake on Sir Alex Ferguson’s part. Pogba is immense and has maturity beyond his years, it is very hard to believe he is still only 21 years of age and already has 15 caps for his national team he is most certainly a Captain in the making.
Arturo Vidal
I have been an admirer of Vidal’s ability for sometime now, ever since he scored that sensational strike in a Champions League group game against Chelsea in 2012. He is in a similar mould to his Juventus teammate Pogba. Vidal who only figured in three of Chile’s World Cup matches due to recovering from a knee injury he picked up at the end of his Serie A campaign. He is a very cultured midfielder and would fit into the Arsenal squad with consummate ease add that to the signing of his Chilean teammate Alexis Sanchez it could be a very good move for all concerned. Vidal who has been linked to rivals Manchester United all Summer it seems could cost around £40 million. He is a very combative midfielder who also has a huge creative spark to his game. He is a proven goal-scoring midfield who also has proven his defensive qualities and has learnt a lot about that side of the game since he move to Juventus from Bayer Leverkusen in 2011.
In summarising, yes the acquisition of Alexis Sanchez is a major signal of intent, a massive leap in the right direction but it is important that the club push on and add more quality because as good as Sanchez is other areas need to know be addressed.
Goonerscribe.
