With the season drawing quickly to a close, things are starting to heat up for the summer. For Arsenal, this means being linked with a whole host of players- from big stars, to unproven youngsters from across the world.
Two of these players closer to home are on the South Coast with Southampton. Morgan Schneiderlin is a player that has been linked with Arsenal for over a year and has been touted as the long-awaited savour of the midfield.
Meanwhile Victor Wanyama, although again linked with Arsenal for a while, is a name newer to the ‘wanted’ list. Again though, he is touted as a player that can provide a major improvement to the current squad.
That leaves one question: Which one should Arsenal pursue?
In truth, both players are spectacularly similar statistically, as there are practically no differences when comparing the numbers of the two using Squawka’s comparison matrix. From front to back, there is very little between the two.
With the ball, Schneiderlin and Wanyama are very similar. Both have the capability to make a defence cutting pass but they are not put on the player for that purpose. Stats show Schneiderlin leads the way, with 17 key passes to Wanyama’s 13, but the fact the duo have just one assist between them- which incidentally belongs to Wanyama- shows their true strengths.
Both Saints players are deployed as the last protective line in front of the defence, as the holding role in midfield- a position Arsenal are desperately calling out for reinforcements in, with Francis Coquelin being the only current player capable of excelling in this position.
In front of the defence, the two are again very difficult to separate as Wanyama (66) has just one more tackle completed than his midfield team-mate. Neither player has made a defensive error in the Premier League this season, which means they are certainly capable of providing muscle to the midfield four.
That makes things very, very difficult when choosing between the two. My personal preference would be Schneiderlin, due to his World Cup experience and the fact he knows both Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud.
However, his excellent reputation would mean Arsenal would have to pay a higher figure than if they were to chase Wanyama- and this is where the difference lies. To me, it all depends on how much Arsene Wenger gets to spend in the transfer market this season.
If he has a number of names on his shopping list, then Wanyama is the best and most economical fit. If defensive-midfield is the main aim, which it should be, then Arsene Wenger should splash whatever cash necessary to grab Schneiderlin ahead of other prying eyes in Europe.