Showing posts with label Yann MVila. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yann MVila. Show all posts

Arsenal Are Looking For A Defensive Midfielder


It's been a couple of weeks since that Old Trafford game, where the Arsenal defence were laughable, their midfield dominated, their strikers isolated and their goalkeeper shot down eight times. There has been time to recover, and the players will undoubtedly enjoy a quick response with their first win of the Premier League season at Swansea.

An uplifting win however, will not cover up the cracks which linger ominously in the Arsenal framework. The signings of Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun to reinforce the midfield are encouraging - two very talented, creative, energetic midfielder's with bags of Premier League experience under their belt who can certainly help out to bring some positivity to the Emirates, but Wenger knows he needs more.

Not only have Arsenal tried until the last minute of the summer transfer window to sign Rennes' defensive midfielder, Yann M'Vila, but they are also scouting 25 year-old Argentinian, Lucas Biglia of Belgian club, Anderlecht. The Argentinian is keen to move on, and suits Arsenal's requirements well, with his tough tacking and ball playing style, saying in July: "I think I have ended my cycle at Anderlecht and I want to do something new."

Yann M'Vila is of course Arsenal's preference, but with interest from clubs in a far better positions than them, who haven't seen their two best players leave in the same transfer window, such as Manchester United, described by M'Vila as his "dream club" or Barcelona, Biglia is second choice.

That may be hard to hear for Arsenal fans, who seem to find themselves constantly second best when it comes to transfers. Their muscle in the market is significantly weaker than their rivals like United and City, as well as the two top Spanish sides, who can and will spend more money, leaving the Gunners flailing behind without their main targets. 

While Alex Song and Jack Wilshere are both very capable of playing in the deep lying midfield role well, Wenger seems to be learning from the embarrassment at Manchester United. The Arsenal squad isn't deep enough or strong enough in number to cope with injuries and suspensions - two things which the team seem to be cursed with. Another addition to the midfield certainly do any harm when the window opens in January, and lets hope for Wenger's sake, January isn't too late.

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Hazard & M'Vila Wait on Arsenal Future

Arsenal must qualify for the Champions League on Wednesday if they stand any chance of signing two of their top transfer targets, Eden Hazard and Yann M'Vila.

The match against Italian side Udinese now has a massive, added importance to it, with Arsenal's late activity in the transfer market relying on them getting through to the group stages of Europe's biggest club competition to match the ambitions of two of Ligue 1's brightest prospects.

Arsenal's raid on the French League also includes a big interest in Marvin Martin, Sochaux's attacking midfielder, who has impressed in the French national side as well as in domestic football, playing in a role similar to that of Samir Nasri at Arsenal. Martin assisted 17 goals last season, and in one game this year has already scored one goal.

He is a flare midfielder, as is Hazard, with the latter being a long term target of Wenger's, while Rennes' Yann M'Vila has only recently come into the Arsenal managers line of vision as he searches for depth in the defensive midfield role.

Lille are said to be asking for over £20 million for Hazard, and despite rumours that M'Vila was subject to a rejected £17.5 million from Arsenal, Rennes are supposedly rating him at just over £12 million. According to the Independent, Martin would be the cheapest signing of the three, with Wenger confident he can snatch the 23 year-old for £10.5 million.

With this information, it is understandable why Arsene Wenger is absolutely prepared to cup-tie Samir Nasri against Udinese which may potentially see Manchester City pull out of the deal to sign him, meaning the French midfielder would leave for free next season.

Arsenal may lose out on the £25 million fee City are prepared to pay, but last year, despite only reaching the knock-out round of the competition, Arsenal made £26.2 million, so with Nasri as well as any of Martin, M'Vila and Hazard, getting through on Wednesday is absolutely crucial for Arsenal's future.

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