Over the past month or so, rumours have been flying left, right and center over the potential move of Arturo Vidal to Arsenal. While no one will question the quality of the Chilean as one of the better box-to-box midfielders in the world, whether there is a place for him in Arsene Wenger’s side is another matter entirely.
Rotational needs
Arsenal’s current box-to-box position is championed by the Welsh wonder, Aaron Ramsey. In the past two seasons, he has come into his own as the complete midfielder which Wenger has wanted to pair alongside a holding midfielder. Great tackling paired with an eye for incisive runs through the middle of the park and a knack for scoring goals has made Ramsey the obvious choice for that starting position.
Just behind him in the pecking order is the man who bleeds Arsenal, Jack Wilshere. While constant injury worries have hampered his development over the past few seasons, Wilshere still has the ability to compete with Ramsey for that box-to-box position on a regular basis. Though Wilshere has been more comfortable when placed further up the pitch, he has adapted very reasonably to attaching defensive duties to his natural abilities in dribbling, drawing fouls and occasionally scoring absolute screamers.
With these two options as well as players like Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla who have occasionally filled the role, it would be hard to see the need for Vidal in terms of a pure rotational sense. There is plenty of cover for the box-to-box role and though we have witnessed a more ruthless Wenger this summer with his transfer dealings, it would be harder to justify bringing in Vidal.
Would Vidal improve the starting line-up?
It is pretty obvious that if Vidal were to make his way to North London, he would not be satisfied with anything other than a starting XI position but would he make it straight in at Arsenal?
This is a tough question to answer as there are many factors to take into account regarding Vidal’s potential at Arsenal if he were to sign. The first factor to account for is Wenger’s mentality to new players. While the talent of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez fit right into the starting XI upon their arrival, it was due to their obvious upgrade in quality over the fit Arsenal players that were available at the time. The same argument could be made for Petr Cech being an obvious upgrade over the current starting 'keeper, David Ospina.
Whether that logic could be carried over when comparing Vidal and Ramsey is a lot more questionable. While Vidal shone at his time at Juventus, making a starting position for himself an almost guarantee, Ramsey managed to carry the entire Arsenal squad two seasons ago and that will not long be forgotten. There is also the question of how Vidal would adjust to the English game as he has spent his European career in Germany and Italy, two leagues that are generally seen as less competitive than the Premier League. Ramsey, meanwhile, is a proven Premier League star and it would be hard to justify benching him as a result. Ramsey has also been rumoured to be linked with a move to Barcelona despite their transfer ban and again, it is hard to ignore this sort of news when comparing the two.
The last idea that could see both Ramsey and Vidal starting alongside one another for Arsenal would be a change of formation. This again would be a questionable decision as it would leave one of a bunch of incredibly talented Gunners on the bench. Could we imagine Vidal benching Alexis, Özil, Cazorla, or Theo Walcott? That would be a big stretch for a Wenger run Arsenal.
Though a continuation of Wenger’s newfound ruthlessness could see the North London side putting in the effort to sign Vidal, it would not be necessary. It could mean that someone else would have to leave and, with the wealth of quality that Wenger has at his disposal, it would be difficult to see that happening. As much as many Gooners would enjoy the sight of Vidal in an Arsenal shirt, it isn’t a necessity. Wenger could instead use that money in bringing in a true holding midfielder or striker to sure up a potential title challenging side for 15/16.