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Arsenal Transfers: An Eye To Eye Replacement For Mikel Arteta? At Only £15million

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With Morgan Schneiderlin recently claiming that he is ready to play for ‘a great club’ there has been continuous speculation about whether he is set to join Arsenal in the summer. After all he is French and his talent is unquestionable and we all know how much Arsene Wenger loves players in this mould. Morgan Schneiderlin was also the Southampton player of the year last season as he established himself as one of the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League. Here is a look into why Morgan Schneiderlin will be the perfect fit for Arsenal.

morgan Schneiderlin

Consistent performances

Morgan Schneiderlin is one of the best examples of consistency with unquestionable work ethic. In fact last season he made the most tackles and highest interceptions in the entire Premier League. Incredibly underrated to some more illustrated players in this position, he was also credited with the highest work rate in the Premier League. In fact this season has been no different with his calming influence in front of the defensive four of Southampton a big factor behind their good position in the League.

Also we must not forget that Morgan Schneiderlin plays in a Saints defense where the full backs like to track forward and as such his contribution is even more note worthy. For a side like Arsenal which is often accused of having a weak belly, Morgan Schneiderlin fits the bill perfectly.

Replacement for Mikel Arteta

While Mikel Arteta has served the club incredibly well, it is no secret that he is growing older. In fact when he was signed from Everton he was an attacking midfielder (or more like a CM) and not a defensive one and it was only at Arsenal where he was converted into a holding midfielder.

While Mikel Arteta controls the game incredibly well he is not a natural defensive midfielder and the fact that he is growing older means that Arsenal needs a natural defensive midfielder like Patrick Viera. While the Frenchman Mathieu Flamini is one option there, there are no real backups in that position if you discount Mikel Arteta. With the ageing legs of Mikel Arteta, Morgan Schneiderlin is the perfect answer to Arsenal’s defensive midfield problems.

Look at some of his stats here:


 

Required steel in midfield for the bigger matches

While Arsenal has consistently punched above their weight in this edition’s Premier League it has been painfully clear that Arsenal really did not have the depth to actually challenge for the title. Title winning teams need a bit of extra steel in midfield and whenever Arsenal have faced title contenders they have been not only beaten but blown away by their opposition. While many feel that has got a lot to do with the high line Arsene Wenger deploys, another simple reason is that Arsenal do not have the required steel in their midfield for these type of matches. Morgan Schneiderlin on paper looks the perfect answer to atleast some of these problems that Arsenal are facing at the moment. The report from Metro says that Schneiderlin is valued for about £15million, considering his Premier League experience and at the age of 24, the midfielder fits the bill perfectly for an Arsene Wenger’s team.