26 Dec 2015 10:00:14
Any news on defensive midfielders Ed002?
{Ed002's Note - Another great question Ed001, I don't know where you get them from:
The Arsenal fans here seem to have gotten them themselves in to another frenzy over Defensive Midfield options again – I will try and put this all in to context to see if we can’t get a little common sense in place.
Possible and makes some sense: Basel's Mohamed Elneny was watched on several occasions during 2014 and in to early 2015 by both West Ham United and Arsenal. If Arsenal do rekindle interest it will be interesting to see if it ends interest in the likes of Carvalho or whether he is seen as simply a squad player. It seems an odd choice at this time.
Possible: There is sustained interest in Carvalho from Arsenal with some residual interest from Manchester United. Monaco, Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Chelsea passed on previous interest because of the cost. Sporting would ideally like to keep him a year or two more but know that is now unlikely. Everyone knows the price and it is significant and there seems little room for negotiation although he is not looking to sign a new deal and that may give some leverage. Liverpool looked at the player at the start of last year but I am not aware of any interest right now.
Unlikely but may be possible if Arsenal drop all interest in Carvalho: Arsenal has sustained interest in Sevilla's Krychowiak - but he is not the first choice and they will only return to him if they cannot get the player they are looking at. An enquiry from Southampton was rebuffed although the amount of money they suggested was well below the asking price in any case. Right now no one has made an offer for him according to Sevilla and I suspect he will stay there after signing a new contract with an increased release clause which would reflect the minimum an English club would need to pay.
Unlikely and makes zero sense to me and I can’t see it happening: It seems a number of posters are convinced that Porto’s defensive midfielder Danilo Pereira is the player that the club will bring in and, surprising to me, they claim Luis Boa Morte is enthusiastic and that all Arsenal need to do is match his release clause (which cannot be “activated” by an English side but may give a guide to the asking price) and he will be on the next plane. So just to put this in to context, and perhaps justify my surprise at any thought that this may make sense - Danilo Pereira moved in the summer of 2015 for just less than €3 – the “release clause” is a pretty hefty €40M. If Arsenal were to offer that I am pretty sure Porto will let him go.
Unlikely to stupid: Bayer Leverkusen's Lars Bender has been a player watched by Arsenal and others, including Juventus and Manchester United, for some time. He recently signed a new contract - but I do think that a bid will be made by Arsenal before the summer but he is sending out the message that he has no interest in the move. Juventus have dropped any interest they had.} Although Arsenal has been looking at Lars Bender for three years I think any move for him in January would be an enormous risk and unlikely unless fitness can be proved.
So in summary
Elneny – was looked at in 2014 so rekindling interest is not at all out of the question but the thought that remains in my mind is would he be first choice in the longer term?
Carvalho – the long term target and always first choice. A move for anyone else in the summer was delayed, I am sure, hoping that Carvalho would have returned and proved his fitness by the January window. He is back but has not had too much opportunity to prove his fitness just yet – maybe delay a decision on the player to the summer – in which case Elneny make a lot of sense? Or maybe it is time to walk away?
Krychowiak – has been in the shadows of Carvalho from Arsenal’s perspective for some time – has signed a new deal but Arsenal could prise him away with a large enough offer. If interest wanes in Carvalho, it makes some sense to turn to Krychowiak. Is it a decision that needs to be made in January? I don’t know – 2nd on goal difference in the summer might provide a retrospective answer to that question.
Pereira – Porto would certainly be willing to sell for a figure equal to his €40M buy out clause – seems outrageous for a player they only paid €3M in the summer. I would be very surprised if Arsenal did this – or indeed even paid half the asking price.
Lars Bender – would be a very good all round solution for a well respected player of a good age with great experience. Bayer Leverkusen would certainly be open to an offer but, and it is a big but, the timing is not good. Bender has struggled with injury problems for a couple of years and is currently out recovering from an operation on his ankle in early December. It would seem to me to be a very high-risk move and one that I would be very surprised Arsenal would look to take in the short-term.
26 Dec 2015 10:19:50
Flamini has been doing just fine, people need to relax.
26 Dec 2015 19:09:12
Flamini wouldn't make it in Liverpool's team.
His decision making isn't fast enough.
Doesn't have the ability to make threatening passes.
26 Dec 2015 19:37:16
Hey Messenger, that's quite a slag considering flaming was part of beating Man City, and Olympiakos - he is doing just fine for me.
26 Dec 2015 20:14:12
check the stats of this Southhampton game. Flamini hasn't made one good pass. Lost the ball 5 times so far, but has made one good slide tackle.
Of course he's going to play apart in those victories. We don't have anyone better than him at the moment.
26 Dec 2015 20:48:26
but let me be clear, he's a leader. maybe not through his play but through his desire and his voice.
26 Dec 2015 22:11:39
Thanks as always Ed002.
Top summary.
27 Dec 2015 14:56:53
Yeah been a bit tongue in cheek there messenger, but he has thus far done the deputy role well enough, your never going to get cover of equal ability! It dosent work on a moral level!
28 Dec 2015 09:29:34
Flamini is awful, we won against Olympiacos and Man City, despite him, not because of him. We needed to sign a couple of defensive type midfield players in the summer window and now the need is even more acute, as the excellent Coquelin is out with a long term injury. Arteta is not the answer, he was never a true defensive midfield player and has become injury prone with age. I do not like us playing more attacking midfield players such as Ramsey, Wilshere and Cazorla in the deeper roles, as they are far more useful played in a more advanced role. It comes as no surprise that these players have suffered injuries as a result of playing deeper, which places extra stress on the body whilst chasing and tackling.
28 Dec 2015 09:39:04
We simply have to sign at least one, if not two defensive midfield players in the January window. Coqulein is out for a while, whilst Flamini and Arteta are dreadful. I would offer Southampton £20m for Wanyama and go to £25m, if necessary. Elneny looks promising from what little I have seen of him, but will need some time to raise his game to Premiership level. Carvalho could be signed for a hefty fee or Krychowiak who reportedly has a release fee in his contract. We will win nothing if we don't make a serious signing. Having only spent approx £10m on Cech in the summer, we could spend £50-60m to bring in a couple of defensive midfield players, which will be needed in any event in the summer, when Arteta and Flamini depart.