It’s one of those mornings you wake up and think of those uphill tasks you have to do at work and when you’re a bit free at work, you’re like, ‘Aha, I haven’t blogged yet, but what the hell is happening in the world of Arsenal at the moment?’. Things tend to be very very quiet when the Gunners win with all the bad things the players have done swept under the carpet. I’d really like to see what’s under that carpet and I’m sure dust won’t be one of the things to look forward to seeing.
So these media vultures never get tired do they? Yes, it seemed as if the Gunners had some concerns with their spine as the holding midfield role was manned by two elder statesmen that have been giving to the best of their abilities but it probably wasn’t good enough for the fan base. Mathieu Flamini was a beast in his first stint at the club before departing for the greens of AC Milan and his second coming seemed like a renaissance as the fans loved his fiery attitude and his aggressive style of play but the cards kept on piling up with consummate ease the same fans got really angered when he received his marching orders against Southampton. Mikel Arteta on the other hand, played as a box to box midfielder in his first season at the club before accepting the role of being the club’s anchor man after Alex Song left for FC Barcelona and what he lacked for that role in brawns, he certainly made up for it in brains. Arteta is a very influential and vastly experienced player but he has had his fair share of injuries (long- and short-term) since he joined the club in 2011.
This season, Arsene Wenger summoned Francis Coquelin from his loan spell with Charlton and in his handful of appearances this season, he has been awesome. According to stats king, WhoScored, he has averaged three interceptions, three tackles and 3.1 clearances with an overall WhoScored rating of 7.39. Sometimes, stats don’t tell the full story but fans that have watched Coquelin this period can attest to the fact that he has been a revelation since he was thrust into the mix. His teammates have full confidence in his abilities and his ability to read the game and make a tackle / interception is exemplary for a young player. He’s also comfortable with the ball at his feet and he has been a breath of fresh air.
However, some fans view Coquelin as a ‘short-term’ fix and they whope that the Gunners are going to secure the services of another recognized defensive midfielders, with whispers of Morgan Schneiderlein gaining momentum and those ITKs (slang used in Nigeria for people that claim to ‘know’ a lot) are already stating that a fee has been agreed between the club and Southampton this summer.
The Metro has reported that the Gunners are ‘ready to sign’ Lyon’s holding midfielder, Maxime Gonalons. The French DM has been in good form for Lyon this season, averaging 4.1 tackles and 2.8 interceptions per game. Metro also reports that Tottenham and Napoli are interested in signing the £14.8m-rated midfielder. He has completed 89.3 percent of his passes this season, averaging of seven long balls per game. Gonalons doesn’t really make forays forward, but prefers to stay deep to sweep things up in midfield before laying a pass for the creative players to do their thing. Another advantage for the Frenchman is his versatility, as he’s also adept playing as a center back.
I’d follow this news closely but there’s a lot of football to be played between now and the summer.
Time to go for a 10.30am meeting.
Sayonara.
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