Arsenal have reportedly agreed terms with Sami Khedira over a move in January or the end of the season.
The German midfielder is yet to sign a new contract with Madrid, meaning he will be available for a free transfer at the end of the season. Arsenal will be allowed to sign a pre-contract for the midfielder in January, and for a few million, Madrid could let him leave early.
Khedira does have a past littered with injuries, but he’s a world cup winner and a very good midfielder. His strength and experience will be a key addition to an Arsenal midfield lacking just those ingredients.
While Özil symbolises the ingredients of the typical Wenger cocktail; outstanding technical prowess, wonderful vision as well as great generosity with the ball, Khedira fits an entirely different mould, but one that would fill a gaping hole in Arsenal’s team. For years Arsenal have lacked a genuine physical presence in the centre of the park, having struggled to adequately replace Gilberto Silva and Patrick Vieira (don’t get me started on the Yann M’Vila debacle) from their title winning teams of 2001/02 and 03/04.
Denilson, Alexandre Song, Mikel Arteta and most recently Mathieu Flamini have all failed to make this position their own, with the obvious flaws of the latter two being painfully exposed against top level opposition last season; the four heavy away defeats to Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton and Manchester City saw Arsenal concede 20 goals – just under half of their total for the season (41). By comparison, Cardiff City, who finished bottom of the league with a goal difference of -74, conceded only 13 goals in the reciprocate fixtures.
For all of their efforts, Arteta and Flamini’s have consistently demonstrated important frailties that signify the importance of Arsenal signing a defensive-minded midfielder.
Signing Khedira would be adding another German to the squad, with Marco Reus also linked recently.