There is no doubt that Arsenal need a new young, strong and steady defensive midfielder even though Arsene Wenger has been burying his head in the sand to ignore the fact for the last few seasons. But now Mikel Arteta and Matthieu Flamini are both getting older, slower and accident-prone, Wenger will simply have to accept that neither those two or the like-a-new-signing Abou Diaby are going to be able to do the job next season.
There were numerous Arsenal rumours with links to the promising PSG youngster Adrien Rabiot, but the latest reports are saying that 19 year-old has set his sights on moving to Roma in Serie A. Personally I would have thought this was a large risk despite his promise.
Much more appealing to me is the rumour from today’s Mirror that Arsenal are intending to bring the 24 year old Aston Villa hard man Fabian Delph to the Emirates. He is certainly more mature than Rabiot, and even more in his favour is that he is English, has loads of experience in the Premier League, and most important for Wenger is the fact that he could be brought in for free at the end of the season.
Delph could slot in easily alongside his English team-mates (he recently won his first cap) and did you see that fantastic shot he had yesterday against Chelsea? If he has refused to sign a new contract for Villa so far, it seems obvious that he will be looking to move onwards and upwards in the summer, so why not to Arsenal?
I’d take him over arteta and flamini anyday, but at this point I’d probably take anyone.
Dude I have watched Delph play many times and Arteta is twice the player he is. He is just a mini Jack Wilshere. He even tackles like Wilshere as well and dives into tackles.
@arsenalman365
He’s had a few good run of games and is a solid player. But we need something extra…
How about neither and we get a proper, established, quality DM. That’s what I’d like to say in response to this article. However, are there any really top quality DM’s out there that we could get? I’m sure there’s better than Delph and Rabiot out there. Neither are really what we need.
Rabiot is younger and very similar to Emmanuel Petit. Exactly what we need. Seen him play?
This season Delph has has 60% duels won this season that more than twice of what flamini has got 29%. Were he lacks is in his passing ability were he averages 79% in comparison to flamini 94%. I don’t think that is good enough to be an arsenal midfielder but in fairness to him the length of his passes are longer due to villas style of play
@Mick The Gooner
*Kondogbia* trumps em both. Even puts Schneiderlin in the shade…
I bought delph last season for arsenal in FIFA, sold him the next season as he didnt meet the grade. Kinda random reading this article
Not defending delph, but don’t judge someone on a video game.. its a video game.
Im gonna come across as a d*ck but o well……
I dont understand how nobody can differentiate between a DM and CM, it is very very easy to see the difference between the 2 positions. People like @Budd were lumping dm’s and cm’s together when they are 2 DISTINCT POSITIONS.
Delph is NOT A DM not even close he is actually a very good cm/b2b though. An actual DM would be perfect for us unless diaby can really stay healthy and anchor the midfield well
Three letters : CDM.
If you look at his stats this year you will see that Delphs game is based on duels won
Against Chelsea
Szczesny
Chambers Mert Kos Gibbs
Hayden Wilshere
Sanchez Ozil Chamberlain
Welbeck
I know Hayden is inexperienced but I believe we will seriously need his size, defensive ability and speed against Chelsea. He is a natural defender and will provide much cover for Mert against a very good counter attacking team. Diaby would have been my first choice but I think that game will be too demanding for him at this stage of his recovery. Coquelin can do a decent job too but he lacks the size needed to match Matic’s strength in the middle. Besides Hayden has played well any time he has been given the chance.
Is this a joke.. your’e going to play a 19 year old who has only started once for the senior team, and play him in a position where he has never played before??
Still better than Flamini. Just saying.. Personally I think Chambers fits the mould of DM perfectly. But of course he’s never played there for us before either and we need him at Right Back unless we play Bellerin.
I agree with u. I would have put Chambers there too. But we need him at right back. I think Hayden is more ready for the first team than Bellerin although I have very high hopes for both of them.
“In a position he has never played before?”. Well u need to follow our academy players some more.
Honestly i wouldn’t mind us getting rabiot, but the dm i would love us to get is kondogbia! Coyg!
and hummels for cb .with those 2 we could be champions
@Greg
Bang on dude…
a lot can still change between now and the September 1st 2015(deadline day).
Ha ha.
Yes we can send our probes
out to the furtherest corners
of the universe and maybe just may be
we will discover a player who fits our profile.
Young, French, tall ,powerful, indestructable
ten times better than Vierra, a
ferocious undying love for Arsenal
and with a 5 pound price tag 🙂
Wish we got Huntelaar
Huntelaar was the player Wenger should have moved for when RVP left. Anyway, that is history now.
this id exactly what fans said 3 years ago….Pogba was not good enough..
what we need is an experience DM someone 26 to 28yo
to provide us with the vita experience
Transfer rumours about deals that could be done on at the end of the season are pointless at this point.
Didn’t Bellerin play in midfield in that crazy 7-5 win against Reading? I really liked what he did there.
The lack of physicality in our midfield is really a worry. Against stronger teams like Chelsea, we can’t afford to be too adventurous, otherwise we’ll get whipped. In such games, a double pivot of Flamini and Arteta might be the way to go. Wilshere, Rosicky or Ramsey could then be played in the number 10 role. This will ensure we don’t get overrun in midfield. In fact, I would consider dropping Cazorla and Ozil altogether as they offer very little defensively. With the players currently fit, I’ll probably set up as:
Sanchez Rosicky Ox
Wilshere Flamini
All the players in this set up can defend and are fighters. We can’t afford any passengers against Chelsea. I believe with this midfield we should be able to compete with a midfield of Willian/Matic/Ramires which is likely how Mourinho will likely set up his team.
Just imagine if arsenal had arturo vidal in the midfield!
imagine veron at Utd
@Greg
I would have liked Vidal, but I think we dodged a bullet with his injury and all…
people have forgotten that before the signing of ozil……rosicky or ozil would rotate and run the Acm role and both offer different options of attack….
what we need then was a striker to score goals and DM to protect the back 4…
after the signing of Ozil….things got worst….and we keep signing the wrong players and not the players we really need
we still need a proper finisher and DM
Ohh great…
Lets buy a CM and try and play him DM instead of buying an actual DM.
Wenger should set up a defensive team against chelsea. He should show some sort of tactical soundness, I cannot take another humiliation, this is one game I will not mind a draw
I will not mind any one from the Southampton DM pair; Schneirdelin or Wanyama. In the Kenyan Swahili language Wanyama actually means “THE BEAST”..
What Wenger should be looking for is a beast instead of the tiny puny technically gifted players, he loves to sign up. Arsenal really in need of a physically strong DM..