Why Barcelona’s Arda Turan Would Be A Perfect Replacement For Theo Walcott
The Turkish international midfielder has been at Barcelona for over three seasons now, yet the 30-year-old has barely managed to hold a place in the first team. However, the competition in midfield positions has been quite heavy at Barcelona, with the likes of Andre Gomes, Sergi Roberto, Rafinha, Ivan Rakitic and even the newly recruited Paulinho being preferred.
Although Turan wasn’t exactly a major goalscorer during his time at Atletico Madrid, he did manage to rack up assists for his side on a regular basis. Arsenal’s Theo Walcott is also going through a bit of a similar situation at the Emirates, with the 28-year-old not featuring much under Arsene Wenger this season.
Turan made his 100th appearance for the Turkey national team in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Iceland last week in World Cup qualifiers. Arda’s contract with Barcelona expires in 2020 and will have to look at the prospect of moving to another club if he wants to play regular football.
Before the game against Iceland, the Barcelona midfielder spoke about his omission from the first team.
He said: “It has been a while since I played and it is not easy. It means games become as much a mental question as a physical one.
“I want to do what the coach asks of me and form a part of a historic day like this one.”
Taking this into account, maybe Arsene Wenger should consider replacing Walcott with the Turkish midfielder. Walcott has been linked with a January move away from the Emirates, and Arsenal will have to replace the English forward with an experienced candidate.
Arda Turan certainly fits the bill given his experience of playing for big clubs like Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. Turan is yet to feature for the Catalan side this season, with the La-Liga side having already played 11 games this season.
Reports indicate that the Turkish midfielder could be put up for sale in the upcoming January transfer window and could be available for cheap. Arda is definitely a worthy buy for Wenger in case Walcott leaves the club, as the Turkish midfielder is an intelligent player with amazing distribution and heavy involvement in link-up play.
The 30-year-old could have a major influence in Arsenal’s forward play while also bringing plenty of experience to the side. Turan has won major trophies during his time with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona and will bring the winning essence to the Emirates.