Arsene Wenger really is lacking someone to play the dominant role in his sides midfield. Against Spurs they started with Song and Diaby playing behind Fabregas, for me the weak link of that trio is definitely Abou Diaby who I feel has never really lived up to the early promise that he showed.
It now looks as if the Arsenal boss is ready to move for a former target to add a bit of bite to his midfield whilst not giving up on a good core of technically gifted players in the centre of the field. The man they are supposedly looking at according to talksport is Swiss 26 year old Gokhan Inler.
Inler began his career bouncing around the Swiss league, playing for Basel, Aarau, and Zurich. It was in 2007 that the player got his big move to Serie A where he signed for Udinese. Throughout his time there he has continued to impress and has attracted the attention of numerous different clubs, in fact it was reported in 2008 that Arsenal had made a move for him only to be rebuffed.
He was again linked with a move to the Premier League last Summer with Liverpool supposedly lining up the player to replace the outgoing Javier Mascherano however that again never came to fruition.
Talksport now bring us reports from Italy suggesting that Arsenal will again attempt to move for the player. It is suggested that an offer of around £8million might convince Udinese to sell one of their star performers. The midfielder has only missed one game this season, and has performed excellently shielding the sides back line. He has also managed to pop up with 3 goals as well which isn’t bad from such a deep lying position.
I really think Arsenal have been missing a midfield enforcer for a long time, and Inler could definitely provide that steel in their midfield, he is a ball winner but also technically strong and he can be useful setting up attacking plays from defensive positions.
Whether they would face competition from Liverpool remains to be seen, the regime change at the Anfield club would probably suggest that they have a different list of transfer targets now, but for £8million I can’t help but feel that Inler is incredibly good value, and I think it is highly possible that there could be interest from other sides around Europe should Arsenal put the wheels in motion.
For more of my thoughts on the latest transfer rumours, follow me on twitter @soccercityjoe!
Meet Sabrina Ravelli – The Girl That Turned Down Lionel Messi just click on the image below to launch the steamin’ gallery!
>
