117 Tackles Won Out Of 247 – Why Arsenal Might Have Found The Perfect Vieira Replacement After All These Years If They Manage To Sign Him

The one thing that Arsenal have lacked for a number of years is a proper Patrick Vieira replacement in midfield. While we know that they do not have the same leadership that they had during the time of the Frenchman, someone who can tackle and control the game just has not been there for the London side since Vieira left Arsenal and joined Juventus in 2005.

The lack of a midfielder who isn’t just known for playing beautiful football but also for getting their hands dirty is a huge requirement for the side. Vieira not only ensured that Arsenal could go out and attack regularly but he provided stability and steel in midfield, something that the likes of Mathieu Flamini and Francis Coquelin have not been able to provide to Arsene Wenger’s side all year long.

You cannot blame the Arsenal duo for a lack of bite in midfield, they just are not in the same mould as Vieira, well no one can be for that matter. The intensity and ruthlessness he brought into a team was only matched by his long-time rival Roy Keane of Manchester United, no one else even came close to the Frenchman during his best period in the Premier League.

There is one man who could be the perfect replacement – after all these years – for Vieira and that is N’Golo Kante, the Leicester City midfielder. Kante has been named in the PFA Team of the Year this season and that in itself is a great deal for the midfielder that no one knew about before the start of the campaign.

Credit must to be given to the Leicester City scouting network for bringing the French midfielder from Caen in 2015 and he has not looked back ever since. Kante was bought for roughly €8 million, which is peanuts in the world of the Premier League and Arsenal should not think twice but sign him up as soon as possible.

They might have to pay Leicester City through the nose to sign the 25-year-old but all signs suggest that Kante will only get better next season. He has been one of the top of the Premier League charts in tackles made this season (117 out of 247) and that would add a lot of steel and bite into the Arsenal team.

One thing is a certainty, no one could match the performance levels of Kante this season and bringing him to the Emirates would be a great move by the Gunners. He isn’t as vocal as Vieira used to be but he certainly has the stats to prove that he could be the best replacement for the former Arsenal star, now it is only time for Wenger to open his chequebook and sign up the new Vieira.