According to numerous reports in late July (AS, MARCA, SkySports included), Arsène Wenger had launched a bid of around £19 million for Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira. This idea that Khedira would be the latest addition to the growing German machine at Arsenal was further strengthened by two recent occurrences; firstly the arrival of Khedira’s international team-mate and fellow central midfielder Toni Kroos at Real and secondly the obstreperous shouting of Lukas Podolski (‘Arsenal!, ‘Arsenal!’) when Khedira was asked about his future by reporters at the German World Cup Parade in Berlin.
Khedira has just enjoyed a fruitful end to what at one point appeared to be a nightmare season, winning the Champions League with Real and the World Cup with his beloved Germany – the first player to achieve such a feat since Roberto Carlos in 2002 – having seriously injured his ACL in November and spent over five months on the sidelines. It comes as no surprise therefore that news of Khedira’s potential arrival at Arsenal, fresh off such a remarkable recovery, brought a distinct sense of excitement to Arsenal fans across the globe. Perhaps Wenger was finally expanding his horizons, progressing from relatively unknown bargains (normally dragged from the depths of Ligue 1) onto players with established international experience, and crucially, a winning mentality. This transition of course was marked most significantly last summer with the addition of Mesut Özil for £42.5 million, a player who has become emblematic of the club’s change in fortunes, helping to end the nine year trophy drought and bring the FA Cup to the Emirates Stadium. How convenient is it that Özil, a player who is so loved at Arsenal, is also Khedira’s best friend off the pitch.
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 this summer. Not necessarily a player akin to that of Claude Makélélé, who possessed absolutely no offensive flair, but someone who can protect the back five and strike fear into the hearts of the opposition with their power, verve and vision. Khedira is not only 6’2 and strong in the tackle, two traits that would make him an effective anchorman of Arsenal’s gifted young side, but is also blessed with enough technique and footballing intelligence to truly satisfy Wenger’s puritan footballing philosophies. While his propensity to injury (missing 68 games for Real over the last four seasons) and rumoured wage demands of around £150 000 per week have so far proved too stern an obstacle for the transfer to go through, the pairing of Khedira and Arsenal could still turn out to be a masterstroke from Mr. Wenger. If not, the apparent need for a lynchpin at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield remains. However, with similarly encouraging alternatives such as Lars Bender, Morgan Schneiderlin or William Carvalho already being mooted, whatever comes of Khedira, it is encouraging that world-class players are being regularly linked with moves to the Emirates once again.