There were more Arsenal transfer rumours linking the club with a player in the deep lying central midfield role than any other, by some distance. And that has been the case with the Gunners in every transfer window for the past few years.
But as you know all too well, Arsene Wenger does not see things the same way as many fans and media pundits. It seems clear that the Frenchman is not really interested in signing a player like Makelele who is all about tackling and breaking up play. The players we were linked with in this last window were more the all-round type, like Khedira and Schneiderlin, but we still didn’t sign one.
That left Arsenal with the options of Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini, or at least that is what we thought until Wenger’s post-match words last night, reported by Arsenal.com., when the boss revealed his plans to get Abou Diaby playing in that role. This would put less pressure on his injury ravaged body and the boss reckons he has all the attributes to perform well in front of the back four.
Wenger said, “I try to transform it, yes because I feel because he was injured for a long time and he has the physical potential to win the challenges, to face the game will be easier for him than to play with his back to goal with the injuries he had.
“I tried to develop him in a deeper role, I think he can do it. He can be very interesting because he has all the attributes to do it. After, he must love it as well because he’s more of an offensive-minded player.”
If the possibility of Diaby, along with Arteta and Flamini, giving Arsenal enough options in the DM role is the reason for him keeping his powder dry in the transfer market, the 28-year old has about four months to prove himself before Wenger has to make the final decision before the January window closes. Can he be the answer?