Arsenal currently have a host of midfielders in Jack Wilshere, Granit Xhaka, Aaron Ramsey, Mohamed Elneny and young Joe Willock. While none of the midfielders has been able to make the headlines for the Gunners this season, there is still plenty to be hopeful about for the north London side.
Wilshere is finally showing glimpses of his true potential and Wenger is carefully bringing back his key midfielder into the grind. Should his development continue, he will be an asset to the club. The case for Xhaka is little more confusing as he can be an absolute class on his day but a total disaster on others. A little more discipline to his game will definitely see Xhaka perform well enough to don the Arsenal jersey for years to come. Aaron Ramsey is definitely going to stay at the club as he still churns out impressive performances every now and then.
As for the other option, at just 18 years old, Willock has already experienced European football. by featuring in 3 Europa League games for the club. It is not a mean feat by any extension for an 18-year old to start on European nights for a club as big as Arsenal. Credit must be given to Willock for extending his run of games by playing impressive football.
He has a good, calm head on him and a decent passing range. Add to that his knack of dribbling past a few in the middle of the park and Arsenal might have a future winner in the ranks. Credit must also be given to Wenger and the board who not only backed Willock to succeed but it seems now have rewarded the youngster with a new and lengthy contract.
It is therefore surprising that despite having so many options, Arsenal has been linked with a move for FC Porto’s defensive midfielder Danilo Pereira. The Gunners have been reportedly tracking the versatile central midfielder who can also play as a centre back. He has already scored four goals in eighteen appearances this season and the former Parma player has developed rapidly in the last two seasons. He now appears to be on the radar of Arsene Wenger who will be looking to bring in a defensive-minded midfielder in place of Francis Coquelin.
However, amidst such quality, it does not make much sense for Arsenal to go in for another midfielder who despite being a good player will simply be not worth the money in the current transfer market, given Arsenal’s self-imposed budget constraints. They should only consider the deal for him if they can get a way to move out Elneny who has fallen down the pecking order.
