James Milner is a player who you either love or hate. Some fans find him boring and not skillful enough, while some fans love his great work rate and work ethic. Usually you would think it would be Manchester City fans having to have this debate but recently it has been Arsenal fans debating what type of player Milner is, as has has been heavily linked to the North London side.
Mikel Arteta is 33, Tomas Rosicky is 32 and Mathieu Flamini is 31. These are three Arsenal players who are very close to the end of their playing careers and can only play in one position, central midfield. On the other hand, James Milner is 29-years-old, is probably at his peak and is very versatile as he is able to play at centre midfield, defensive midfield, right-back and either wing. If anything, James Milner would be a very good addition to the squad, if a free transfer. The Englishman's contract is shorlty expiring and it does not look like he will sign a new one with Manchester City, so why not make an offer for him?
Arsenal are a team brewing with quality currently. The great technicality of the club's star players, such as Ozil and Alexis, is more or less second to none but the squad still requires more fighters, and Milner is definitely one of them. Welbeck and Milner are very similar players, both are not world class when it comes to the technicality but they will both run non-stop for 90 mins, which is highly appreciated nowadays in football.
Every year, Arsenal suffer from an abundance of injuries, that's no surprise. The FA Cup holders often lacked depth in positions due to these injuries and this is where James Milner fits in very nicely. His versatility will be to his and Arséne Wenger's advantage should he sign for Arsenal. Wenger could use him in a number of positions, allowing him to rest star players such as Alexis, Ozil and Cazorla. Whether or not Milner will agree to being a rotation option is between him and Wenger, but if the deal is right financially, we should definitely make the move. Besides, Milner would be a free transfer and reports suggest he would ask for four year contract, meaning he'd be at the club till he's 33. That's not problem as the Englishman is a tireless worker and hopefully his work rate and ethic would encourage other teammates to work harder.
The signing of James Milner would not be the most exciting signing, but it definitely would be worthwile. Despite Milner not really reaching the high standards he was set when he was still a youngster at Aston Villa, he has progressed well and on numerous occasions has proven himself a very good player for Manchester City. Henceforth, if the opportunity arises, Wenger should not hesitate to sign Milner.