William Carvalho To Arsenal?
The papers are awash with news that Arsene Wenger has bid on another player and he is going to seal the deal pretty soon for this talented midfielder. William Carvalho has been on the radars of many top European clubs and it seems he is set to make a big money move from Sporting Lisbon to Arsenal, with the Gunners paying a whopping £28.8 million to secure the services of the 23-year-old Portuguese international.
Carvalho has seen his stock slowly rise since moving to Portugal and has been an integral part of the Sporting team; his impressive performances in the centre of midfield as a defensive player has seen him catch the fancy of many top clubs and seen him become an important player for a revamped Portugal team as well.
Arsenal need a defensive midfielder to bolster their squad, they do have last season’s breakout star in Francis Coquelin, but the young midfielder still needs to be rested once in a while and cannot be put under pressure and scrutiny throughout the season. They Gunners also need someone who is willing to run about and cause damage and that is something that Carvalho is capable of doing.
Apart from playing the defensive midfielder’s role, Carvalho can play as a central back as well though Arsenal would not be deploying him in such a role. The biggest concern about Carvalho is his lack of pace, although Carvalho is a great shield for the attacking midfielders, he isn’t the fastest player in the world and that can be a huge problem, especially in the Premier League.
He does have great vision and can ping the ball around for fun, something that would obviously work at Arsenal. One thing that Arsenal would have to deal with next season is the sheer number of midfield options they would possess. The Gunners would have players like Wilshere (fit enough for the entire season), Ramsey, Cazorla, Coquelin and the options of playing Ozil and Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Carvalho coming into the team is certainly a big boost for the Gunners, he doesn’t have great shooting ability and his lack of goals proves it but the work that he puts out in front of the back four more than makes up for the lack of goals. The Portuguese star would be a great addition to the Gunners team, but they would have to make a few sacrifices to play him in the team regularly, would the Gunners be willing to do that for the sake of defensive solidity next season? Well, if they do sign Carvalho, we do know the answer to that question is a solid yes.
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