Is This Youngster Wenger’s Alternative DM For Arsenal by AT
As Arsenal prepare for the trip to Southampton, it was noticed that the young defensive midfielder Glen Kamara had taken part in first-team training, along with fellow youngsters Ben Sheaf and Chris Willock. However, the inclusion of Kamara in particular is an interesting one as it gives an indication of what Arsene Wenger is planning to do in regards to his lack of defensive midfielders at the moment.
As a result of a long-term injury to Francis Coquelin, Mathieu Flamini is now Arsenal’s only choice in defensive midfield. With Coquelin likely to be out at least till February, there was a lot of speculation on what Wenger might do to resolve the crisis. However, if the news of Glen Kamara training with the first-team is anything to go by, it seems as though Le Prof is set to keep faith in one of his promising youngsters.
Kamara, who was recently called up to the Finnish national team, is a technically gifted player on the ball but is more known for his aggression and work-rate off it. The 20-year-old is highly regarded at the Emirates and is likely to make the bench for Arsenal’s visit to the South Coast, as backup for Mathieu Flamini.
Personally, I would agree with Wenger on this one. While many Arsenal fans are urging the Frenchman to sign a defensive midfielder in January, I believe the right approach will be to make the best of the resources available in the squad. With top quality players like Victor Wanyama and William Carvalho not for sale, the players who are available, like Marcelo Brozovic and Danilo Pereira, are relatively unproven and it will be a gamble on Wenger’s part to sign them.
Besides, Flamini is doing a fine job at the moment and Coquelin should be back in February to take his place in the middle of the park. With talented youngsters like Glen Kamara waiting in the wings for a first-team opportunity, it is perhaps understandable why Wenger does not want to jump into the inflated mid-season market.