How should Arsenal’s midfield shape up next year?



The structure of Arsenal’s midfield could be vastly different come the first game of the season against Newcastle to that of last year. The futures of Nasri, Fabregas, Eboue (although nobody will lose any sleep if he leaves) and possibly Arshavin will be decided soon. Barcelona continues their yearly pursuit of Fabregas and it looks to continue into the rest of the market as the clubs continue to battle over negotiations. In my opinion Arsene should let Fabregas go for anything north of £35million. Despite being Arsenal’s best player for the last few seasons we don’t want a distracted uninterested player in the team this year. In the open training session he didn’t look at ease with himself and looked as if he had just come off the island of Lost.

As for Nasri I think that it is essential that we keep him as to lose two of our key midfielders would really disrupt the team. I would promote Nasri to a more central that he, reportedly, craves as he has the creative ability to run the game from that position.

Wilshere will also be vitally important this season and it is vital that he stays fit. He is getting better and better at the moment and if he can set up a strong partnership with Nasri in the middle then we will be in a good position. Having seen some of the action from the pre-season I am also very impressed with the other two youngsters coming through; Frimpong and Ramsey and I think that it is vital that they are integrated into the team this year to give them the experience.

Now onto signings. Obviously the gap that Fabregas leaves in the team has to be addressed and can’t be ignored and another creative player who can make things happen needs to be brought in. In my opinion this should be a winger who would slot in Nasri’s place. Mata would be the ideal replacement for me. He is fast and is able to run with the ball as well as being able to be creative. However this saga once again has dragged on with ‘clauses expiring’ or ‘waiting for money’ slowing it down which has driven the price up. Sadly this deal may be becoming increasingly unlikely.

If this deal doesn’t go through however I think that there are other avenues to explore. Marvin Martin impressed last season not just for having a marvellous name but also for his creative abilities and he would be a cheap option worth exploring. Other options may include Turan or Willian but as for now Wenger is giving us no clues.

Well taking this all into account I think we will have a fairly strong midfield next year despite possible departures and I think that they will line up like this in midfield:

Song Wilshere

Mata Nasri Gervinho

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