The Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has made it clear that he will be leaving St Mary’s this summer in the search for Champions League football, and many pundits are claiming that the Frenchman will be coming to Arsenal rather than Europa League-bound Tottenham.
Last season, the Frenchman was proven to be the most efficient midfielder in the Premier League, and he has been instrumental in Southamptos two over-performing seasons in the top flight. Morgan wanted to leave the Saints last summer, but after a mass exodus the South Coast club have no choice but to block his exit.
The ex-Arsenal star Paul Merson thinks that it would be a risk for Arsenal to buy Schneiderlin as he is not a renowned world star, and he cites the other departures from St Mary’s as the reason for his doubts. Talking about who Arsenal need this summer Merson said on SkySports “…they also need a holding midfield player, but I don’t know who they’ll go for.
“You could say Morgan Schneiderlin, but at the same time a lot of Southampton players went to Liverpool last year and not many of them have cut it,”
“Likewise, if you’re going to Arsenal from Southampton it’s a big, big move, so maybe they need someone who’s already played at that pressure level. I do like Schneiderlin, though.”
On the stats Morgan is definitely a very accomplished player, but Merson is right. If you look at the other players that left ST Mary’s last summer, they have hardly set the Premiership on fire, but surely Schneiderlin won’t turn into a bad midfielder once he leaves Southampton?