Rumors have emerged that after an unsuccessful attempt to lure Sami Khedira to Arsenal, that Arsene Wenger has turned his attention to Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin. A fee of £18m has been touted and some reports have even suggested that Arsenal have already begun talks.
Schneiderlin has suggested he would be open to a move after being quote as saying
"I've been there for a long time now," the 24-year-old France international had said. "We'll see how things go, but the directors know my position and what my intentions are. "Everyone has ambitions, everyone has his own future in his hands, so we’ll see. Every player wants to play on big occasions."
The big occasion referred to could of course be the Champions League, which if Arsenal continue their good record of qualification, will mean they can offer that.
For some Schneiderlin would represent a more genuine defensive midfielder compared to Khedira and could certainly offer protection to Arsenal’s back four. He would also offer more pace in the holding role than Arteta may have but is also very comfortable on the ball when in possession and has a mix of decent long range and short range passing.
It would appear he certainly wassn’t the number one candidate for the defensive midfield role as Arsenal could probably have tied up a deal by now if he was top of the list but it seems he is now the front runner.
A midfield duo of Ramsey and Schneiderlin with Ozil at the tip of the three would certainly be an interesting project. At 24 he is at a good age and could potentially form a partnership with Ramsey for years to come.