As fas as the Morgan Schneiderlin transfer to Arsenal rumour was going, our resident Gooners thought that the story had gone cold completely until reports this past midweek.
The latest according to The Mirror is that Southampton have slapped a £24 million asking price onto the shoulders of their French international and this has set Gunners fans’ tongues wagging.
They are debating whether Schneiderlin is even worth that much but others pipe up and claim that in the modern market, those kind of fees are commonplace and relatively justified given the fact the Saints man has two years left to run on his contract at St Mary’s.
The problem is that Arsene Wenger has noted time and again that he won’t splash out lavish fees unless the player arriving is absolutely necessary and can add value to the squad instead of disrupting team harmony and cohesion.
The situation in defensive midfield has been complicated by the fact that Francis Coquelin has been nothing sort of superb since returning from a loan spell at Charlton Athletic midway through last season.
Before his return, Arsenal fans would’ve claimed Schneiderlin’s arrival was absolutely essential whereas now, Gunners fans are concentrating far more on the prospect of improving their goalkeeping options with Petr Cech instead.
If Wenger does deem £24 million too much for a player of Schneiderlin’s capabilities, he’ll need to revisit the drawing board and here are five alternatives to the Frenchman that the Gunners boss may then consider.
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Click on the image below to reveal the 5 Schneiderlin alternatives for Arsenal to consider this summer.
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Grzegorz Krychowiak
He is the least known player on our five-man shortlist but this doesn’t distort from the fact that Grzegorz Krychowiak is an extremely highly-rated player who has of course just won the Europa League title with Sevilla.
While the Polish international isn’t so familiar with English football fans, when you dig a little deeper on YouTube and when scouring through Spanish football blogs, it all points towards the player being a vital cog in Unai Emery’s side.
Perhaps Gooners would initially be a little underwhelmed if they went for this guy over a Schneiderlin but this would only be born out of the fact that he isn’t so familiar at present.
The Pole has been linked with Arsenal for quite a while now to boot, suggesting that there is actually some depth to this rumour with the player being someone Arsene Wenger has admired for some time.
Krychowiak has also won 24 caps for Poland and perhaps Wojciech Szczesny could carry out some tapping up abilities – that is if he’s still at the club by the start of next season that is!
Arturo Vidal
Back in May, the internet was awash with rumours that Juventus’ Arturo Vidal had already agreed upon a summer transfer window move to Arsenal that’d be concluded after the end of the Copa America in Chile.
With reports from Metro referencing Argentine journalist Hernan Feler who had claimed the move will be something of a formality, just where has the follow up news been ever since?
In what seems like a classic case of transfixing all Arsenal fans with a dream deal to well and truly kick silly season off, everybody in the tavern is convinced that the Vidal rumours are simply unfounded at present.
This doesn’t alter from the fact that Gunners fans would love him at Emirates Stadium however and point to the fact that Alexis Sanchez’s presence could be crucial in any potential deal taking place.
Vidal is undoubtedly a world class midfielder but interestingly isn’t a true defensive midfielder but more of one of the box-to-box variety like Alex Song used to be.
Capable of scoring goals as well as making tenacious sliding tackles, Vidal has it all, everything apart from being able to drive his car so carefully after he infamously crashed his Ferrari whilst on Copa America duty this past week!
If signed by Arsenal, he may have to get used to the public red London double-decker!
Geoffrey Kondgobia
Another name intensely linked with an Arsenal switch this summer has been Monaco’s Geoffrey Kondogbia.
Having impressed against Arsenal in the Champions League this past season, Arsene Wenger gained a close-up insight into the talents that the former Sevilla man possesses.
Boasting brute strength and a graceful stride out of midfield like Yaya Toure, most Gunners fans crave a powerful unit in the centre of their midfield despite Francis Coquelin having impressed last term.
You’d imagine that Kondogbia would cost more than the £24 million being quoted for Schneiderlin given his age but Monaco might have to sell him this summer in order to keep on the right side of Financial Fair Play.
Arsenal have always had a French influence at the club and in a big season with Euro 2016 set to take place at the end of it, perhaps the likes of Kondogbia would look at a transfer to the likes of Arsenal to improve his international prospects in a overcrowded midfield area for Didier Deschamps’ Les Bleus.
Yohan Cabaye
Now 29-years-of-age, this fact alone makes Yohan Cabaye more of an outsider to complete a transfer to Arsenal this summer but this hasn’t stopped the likes of the International Business Times linking him with a Gunners switch.
He seemed a perfect fit for the Gunners only a few years ago when Newcastle United rejected a derisory bid from the North London side but after it didn’t go to plan for Cabaye at Paris Saint-Germain, his stock has fallen somewhat.
Crystal Palace, Tottenham and his former club Newcastle are rumoured to be interested in snapping him up this summer and the consensus from our resident Gooners is that these three clubs can fight it out for his signature while Arsenal should be looking to attain better midfielders.
That said, Cabaye is a box-to-box player who can defend and attack in equal measure while possessing a wicked ability from set-piece situations.
Nevertheless, Cabaye would be seen as something of a plan B move with Schneiderlin and Kondogbia considered far more noteworthy additions this summer.
Victor Wanyama
Another outside bet for a move to Arsenal this summer is Schneiderlin’s Southampton team-mate Victor Wanyama who is often his midfield sidekick in Ronald Koeman’s preferred starting eleven.
Wanyama has long been a player Arsene Wenger has admired ever since his days at Celtic but the transfer speculation went into overdrive this summer when the player himself was speaking to a TV show in his native Kenya, claiming: “It would be nice to move to Arsenal.
“But at this moment such decisions can only be made by Southampton and that is where my concentration as a player is.”
With the player confirming his admiration of Arsenal in no uncertain terms, this is the classic come-and-get-me plea but we’re just not sure that Wenger is so interested in Wanyama with the likes of Schneiderlin or Kondogbia set to be preferred.
The Gunners boss may of course do the old classic and claim that they already have what they need in Francis Coquelin, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini.
Gunners fans will just have to watch this space as the summer drags on.
