When Mikel Arteta arrived in North London it was a good thing, he added experience into our midfielder and has made telling contributions since his arrival. However, with the improvements of Aaron Ramsey and the arrival of Mesut Ozil, amongst other things, Arteta has found himself used in a holding midfielder role.
Frankly, it doesn’t work for him. Arteta is a creative player and he doesn’t have the impact that he should do when played in that position. In his current position he is somewhat of a liability, as he always looks like he is just a moment away from a foul and a yellow card. Therefore, Arsenal cannot continue to play Arteta in that role next season on a regular basis. The Gunners don’t really have a stand-out player at the club that can replace the Basque star in the line-up, meaning we have to dip into the transfer market. Here’s five ideal replacements, in no particular order.
5. Morgan Schneiderlin
Everyone seems to be raiding Southampton this season for their impressive squad of stars and we should be no different. There is a host of players that will be leaving the Saints this season. One of them could well end up being Morgan Schneiderlin and if that is the case, we must swoop.
The French international has impressed in the Premier League and after six years at Southampton he is likely to be keen on a move. Schneiderlin impressed so much this season that he was called up to the World Cup by Didier Deschamps, although an injury to a team-mate played a crucial part.
24-year-old Schneiderlin would be an instant hit at the Emirates and would provide a great boost to our midfield. A commanding midfielder is exactly what we need in front of the back four and Schneiderlin would do just that, as well as providing a threat at the other end when necessary. Use the page numbers below to navigate through the rest of the article.Â