Our resident Arsenal fans drinking in the Football Transfer Tavern have piped down a little since only a few weeks ago, such has been the slump in their team’s performances of late.
That long unbeaten run in the Premier League seems like a distant memory now after the Gunners failed to register a single goal in their last three home fixtures against Chelsea, Swansea City and most recently Sunderland last night in a dour 0-0 draw.
Some claim that the players have their eyes firmly fixed on the FA Cup Final on May 30th and are therefore saving their best performance for that day against Aston Villa at Wembley but for others, they’d like so see some positive momentum heading into such a crucial fixture; something they’re not getting at present.
With the goals having dried up for Olivier Giroud ever since Thierry Henry made the claim that the Gunners could do with investing in a new striker, Arsene Wenger will hope his side can turn it on once more against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday on the Premier League’s final day to enter Wembley with a tad more confidence.
Nevertheless, the Gunners are set to finish third, a position higher than last season but if they want to get closer to the likes of Chelsea, here are five potential midfield investments that could aid their push for the Premier League title next season.
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Click on these Gooners below to reveal the 5 midfielders to help Arsenal win the Premier League next season.
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Raheem Sterling
On Monday night, the footballing world received the shocking news that Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling is actively looking for a way out of Anfield.
Lamented in several corners by fans, ex-players and pundits alike for getting ahead of himself before ever really achieving anything with the Reds, others such as Chris Sutton have claimed there is nothing wrong with Sterling’s desire to join a club that is more readily challenging for trophies.
Ever since the news broke on Monday night, many journos have linked Sterling with a summer switch to Emirates Stadium as well as Manchester City.
Most of our Gooners in the tavern would sign Sterling in a heartbeat, although they would love to change his manipulative agent in the process.
If Sterling (a London boy) was to join up with the Gunners this summer, surely Arsene Wenger would have to part with the likes of Theo Walcott in a like-for-like swap.
Walcott, 26, has been reduced to a super sub role of late and despite injecting some pace into last night’s fixture against Sunderland, the jury is still very much out on whether he will ever return to his best form at Arsenal whereas at 20, Sterling still has the best years of his career ahead of him.
Morgan Schneiderlin
He seems like a perfect fit for the Gunners although it remains to be seen whether the Frenchman will join the likes of Manchester United or Arsenal’s North London rivals Tottenham instead.
Much like Petr Cech, you will be hard pressed to find any ardent Gooner who doesn’t think this transfer is a good idea, that is despite Francis Coquelin having perfromed so well since returning from his loan spell at Charlton Athletic earlier in the campaign.
What Schneiderlin brings is controlled aggression, protection of the back four and a calming presence in the middle of the park, qualities that in all fairness have been lacking around Emirates Stadium for many seasons now.
While it is true that Coquelin’s presence has lessened the importance of Arsene Wenger signing a new defensive midfielder, are Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini really still reliable enough reinforcements if the dynamic young Frenchman was out with injury – something the Gunners are all too familiar with?
The signing of Schneiderlin would add depth and quality, and after all he’s French and the Gunners haven’t been too shy in landing players hailing from across the English Channel in past seasons, have they?
William Carvalho
While his name isn’t so frequently linked with the Gunners as it was in the past two transfer windows, William Carvalho is still a hot property and someone who would add some real physicality and bite to Arsene Wenger’s midfield ranks.
Standing at 6 ft 1 in, Arsenal have really lacked somebody in the Patrick Vieira mould for years now and with Gunners fans enviously having watched the likes of Yaya Toure succeed at Manchester City in recent seasons, they wish that Wenger would take a look back into yesteryear at what succeeded in winning them so many honours.
A tall, rangy and domineering midfielder, that’s what!
Carvalho is still at Sporting Lisbon, a club which in no disrespect has been a stepping stone before future glory for the likes of Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo and more recently Marcos Rojo in seasons gone by and you would expect that after establishing himself in Portugal, this summer is the time in which the Angolan-born star finally departs the Jose Alvalade.
Paul Pogba
While the likes of Schneiderlin and Carvalho would represent sensible additions to Arsenal’s midfield, why can’t the Gunners go one better and truly make a statement by signing Juventus’ Paul Pogba?
With our resident Gunners fans receiving jibes all year round from rival fans for Arsene Wenger’s penny pinching tactics within transfer windows, people do forget that the French tactician has indeed splashed out £42.5 million on Mesut Ozil in the summer window of 2013 and £35 million on Alexis Sanchez in the summer window of 2014.
With the Gunners having come out of the other side of their period of austerity whereby Wenger claims that had to sell the likes of Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie to rival pastures in order to remain on a sound financial footing, it is clear that Arsenal are willing to land a marquee signing each summer transfer window now so why can’t Pogba be the next?
Arsenal are often criticised of lacking a championship winning mentality and their fans and board should believe that they can land the likes of Pogba to truly challenge the likes of Chelsea.
All of that said, luring Pogba to Emirates Stadium will be no mean feat; after all the French international is on for a domestic treble having won the Coppa Italia Final against Lazio last night and this isn’t to mention rival interest from the likes of Real Madrid!
Mario Suarez
Perhaps a plan C transfer if moves for Schneiderlin and Carvalho break down but another defensive-minded midfielder linked to Arsenal in the recent past has been Atletico Madrid’s Mario Suarez.
Performing as part of Diego Simeone’s simply excellent Atleti side that surprisingly won the La Liga title ahead of Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid last season, surely inheriting somebody from such a standout defensive-minded outfit would do the Gunners no harm?
Arsenal boast incredible talent going forward, what with the talents of Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey but they must realise that they need to balance their squad with more defensive-minded additions such as Suarez.
Arsene Wenger has used the term ‘balance’ a lot when speaking about Francis Coquelin and what he has brought to the team in 2015 and that is exactly what Suarez would offer as well.
Arsenal fans may have wished they landed another Suarez in Luis after that infamous £40 million + £1 bid back in 2013, such has been their desire to land a truly top class forward to usurp Olivier Giroud but before Arsene Wenger concentrates on fulfilling that wish this summer, adding another midfielder wouldn’t go amiss either.
