According to a report in the Express earlier this week, Arsenal along with a host of other clubs are interested in Barcelona’s Javier Mascherano. Supposedly Mascherano’s agent has come out and said that he wishes to leave the club as he wants to play in midfield rather than in defence.
We almost signed him along with Carlos Tevez some years ago, so Wenger clearly rates him as a midfield enforcer. In Catalonia he was preferred as a centre-back alongside Gerard Pique’, never really getting a chance to prove his worth in their midfield. As a result he was converted into a ball playing centre-back, and on the whole did a decent job. Should Arsenal make a move for him then he should have no trouble slotting back into the heart of midfield, as that is where he has played the majority of his career and also had his best form.In the 08/09 season where Liverpool almost clinched the title, Mascherano was one of the unsung heroes and one of Benitez’s key men playing an integral role alongside Xabi Alonso. During this campaign he really showed the premiership what he can do, combining his defensive grittiness with the ability to break up play and start off Liverpool attacks. This is the sort of player Arsenal need, Mikel Arteta has been a good servant for the club but his influence seems to be slowly waining. He often shy’s out of challenges and doesn’t get stuck in enough to break up the opponent’s attack’s. Javier mascherano meanwhile, would give that constant screening across the defence and also isn’t afraid of getting hurt or going in for a tackle.
At the age of 29, Mascherano should be coming into the peak of his powers and would provide great experience and leadership in the Arsenal midfield. This would be the last big move of his career and he’d probably only cost in the region of £15 million to £20 million. Arsenal could do a lot worse than this man and he has proved in the past what a big influence he can have in the Premiership. He would also provide crucial cover in the centre-back position and at a relatively cheap price would be a decent signing for the Gunners. Some reports have said that the new Barca manager Luis Enrique would like to keep him, if he does come available though, I would fully expect Wenger to go after him.
[divider]
Photo via james moore