Is Defensive Midfield Recruitment A Priority?

When the transfer window slammed shut in September the mood amongst the Arsenal supporters was almost mutinous. Another opportunity to strengthen the team had passed Arsenal by and is retrospectively pointed to as a primary reason for Arsenal’s failure to claim the league crown this season.

It was clear to all and sundry that Arsenal needed a central defender and a defensive midfielder. The January window closed with a different feeling. The title had long passed us by but we were in possession of a superb new central defender to put pressure on the incumbents and provide much needed relief. Arsenal also boasted the most in- form defensive midfielder in the league – Francis Coquelin.

With the summer approaching and the league already won attentions are being turned towards the transfer market and how Arsenal can best prepare for next season. How they fare in the recruitment department will determine how well they stand up to the pressures of next season but if recent form, Swansea defeat notwithstanding, is anything to go by it’s well worth using a TitanBet promo code to put your pin on a silver laden finish for the Gunners.

Where Arsenal need to strengthen seems patently obvious to some people whilst others believe it’s not a case of fixing past missed opportunities. Central defence and defensive midfield still remain the clear areas for improvement for many Gooners but are they the priority they once were?

The signing of Gabriel has given Arsenal much needed depth and support in defence whilst Nacho Monreal, Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers are all capable of playing in the centre. Three top level and first choice centre-backs fighting for two spots with three capable players backing them up is plenty to be going on with. We can worry about injuries until the cows come home but if we purchase on fear of injury we’ll have a 40 man squad!

A balance needs to be struck between numbers and squad harmony. Wenger’s preference for players who can function in a variety of roles possibly finds that balance. Specialist players do not feel their spot is under unnecessary pressure from too much competition and injuries to squad members can be covered by temporary internal solutions.

But what about defensive midfield? The emergence of Coquelin as one of the best defensive midfielders in the country has surprised almost everybody. People are no longer talking of recruiting to fill his position but rather to back him up.

The idea of Coquelin being injured for a long period of time is quite a frightening prospect for many – especially those who wonder how we would cope without him.

Do we need to spend big on a back up player? Assuming we get rid of Flamini in the summer we still have Arteta and young Bielik in the squad. Arteta may have tiring legs but you’re not asking him to play 50 games a season. If Coquelin remains fit we are probably looking at about 15 games to give him a rest but if managed properly you can play Coquelin 40 times out of 60 and that should give him time to recover and avoid minor injuries.

The worry then is what if he gets a big injury. Well sadly you cannot account for bad tackles because as mentioned earlier you end up with an enormous squad you probably can’t afford.

Arteta still has some life in him and whilst Bielik may be young and untested it is worth remember that Coquelin was playing for Charlton before he came back to Arsenal and established himself as the most indispensible player in the squad. There is nothing to suggest Bielik cannot do the same.

Arsenal can also call on Chambers should they require it and there is always the January window.

I believe there are plenty of options in to cover for Coquelin and maybe recruiting an understudy for him is less of a priority than other positions. If a top class player becomes available then we should definitely do it but not at the cost of other roles than need the attention more.

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