Arsene Wenger is moving quickly this summer, to ensure that his squad is ready and prepared before the season kicks off on August 13th. He has already signed Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka from Borussia Mönchengladbach early in the window and the 23 year old has shown glimpses of his abilities in the Euros currently under way in France, where he has been one of the players of the tournament till now. Wenger knows that the job is not done and he still needs to add quality players in attack and defense both of which have been Arsenal’s Achilles heel for quite some time.
It has been reported recently that the French manager is looking to sign Daley Blind from Manchester United in the coming few days. The Dutchman moved to Old Trafford from Ajx in 2014 and has impressed in a variety of roles across the backline and has been particularly solid in an unorthodox centre back role alongside Chris Smalling last season. With Eric Bailly arriving at United recently, 26-year-old faces a fight to hold onto his position in the team. Despite doing brilliant at the back, question marks still remain over strength required to play in defense. It is unlikely that Mourinho will sell one of his most versatile players to a direct opponent but with a place in the first team not assured, if the right offer comes then the Portuguese might have no option but to let Blind move to the Emirates.
Here we look at three reasons why Wenger signing Blind would make a lot of season.
Versatility
Versatility is one of the main reasons why Clubs will be clamoring to sing the Dutchman if indeed United decide to sell. At United the former Ajax captain played as a defensive midfielder and also across the back line. Though Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin were excellent last season, it was Laurent Koscielny who was struggling a bit in the middle due to an unreliability of both Mertesacker and Gabriel. Blind would be that perfect in an Arsenal team, where he can slot in at centre back when needed to and also play in the defensive midfielder’s role if Wenger wants to change things around and protect slender leads.
Leadership qualities
Blind has proven himself to be an able leader, capable of organizing his team from the back. He was the captain of the Ajax team before he decided to move to London. During his tenure at United, he has often found himself at the back surrounded by youngster with very little experience of playing at the top level. It is in these situations that we saw Blind not only leading by example with superb performances but also helping those around him in controlling the game.
Passing and Positioning
Although the Dutch international isn’t that physically imposing or lightening quick, he makes up for it with his excellent positioning sense, which is vital in cutting of opponents breaking forward at pace. He is excellent at intercepting passes and clearing the danger. He also has the ability to ping passes to any area of the field with his exquisite left foot, which would be perfect for Arsenal, given their propensity to quickly break from their box.
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