Arsenal are ready to test Southampton’s resolve with a big January bid for Morgan Schneiderlin, according to The Telegraph.
Tottenham had a £10million bid turned down in the summer, and they are reportedly looking to up that offer in January. The Telegraph think that Arsenal will out-bid Tottenham if they attempt to sign the French midfielder, so it seems the Gunners are ready to spend in excess of £20million to secure their man. It might seem like a lot, but he certainly has the ability.
Schneiderlin was reportedly happy at Southampton after their bright start to the season, but perhaps the last few weeks have acted as a reality check to the player as he is now seemingly looking to move on again.
Arsenal could offer him Champions League football, and having not been involved in any European competitions this season, Schneiderlin would be eligible to compete for Arsenal in the competition – unlike William Carvalho. With Monaco between Arsenal and the last eight of the competition, I’m sure Wenger would relish the chance to have Schneiderlin in his squad. When everyone’s fit, Arsenal are perhaps only short of challenging the best sides in defensive midfield. Schneiderlin would help address this weakness and give the Gunners real quality at the base of the midfield. I think he’d be a big improvement on the current options we have there in Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini.
What about you? Do you think we should splash our entire reported £20million January budget on him? Do you think it’s realistic for Wenger to make such a bid in January? Let us know your thoughts on this by commenting below.