According to a recent report by the Mirror, Arsenal are prepared to rekindle their interest for Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega ahead of a potential move in the summer. The same source has also claimed that the Gunners are still on the lookout for an ideal replacement for Aaron Ramsey who is set to leave the club at the end of this campaign with Sevilla valuing Banega around £17m as he has a buy-out clause in his contract. The Mirror has now revealed that Unai Emery has identified the Argentine midfielder as a possible candidate to fill the shoes of Ramsey going into the new season.
Banega is an experienced midfielder who has proven his worth against the best players of Europe during his time in Spain. He has previously played for clubs such as Boca Juniors, Valencia and Atletico Madrid before his spell at Sevilla.
The 30-year-old has already won an Olympic gold medal with Argentina. He also has two UEFA Europa League winners’ medal which goes on to show how valuable he has been at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
The Rosario born talent has made 39 appearances for Sevilla this term, scoring eight goals while creating seven assists across all competitions. He has also secured 65 international caps for the Argentine national side and has six goals to his name at the international level.
The ex-Valencia talent primarily plays as an attacking midfielder but can also operate as a deep-lying, holding midfielder if required. The South-American sensation is a productive dribbler with the ball and has a wide range of passes in his locker which makes him such a creative force at the middle of the park. However, as with most other foreign players, there are some concerns regarding Banega’s ability to cope with the physical nature of Premier League football especially this late in his career.
The addition of the Argentine international will undoubtedly bolster Emery’s midfield options at the Emirates Stadium. His ability on the ball could help Emery get the best out of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette as the striking duo thrive on the chances they get at the attacking end of the pitch. More importantly, Banega is more than capable of filling the void left by Aaron Ramsey’s departure when he eventually leaves the North London giants in the summer.
To summarise, the Argentine’s quality as a facilitator along with his versatility in midfield makes him a perfect candidate to replace Ramsey at Arsenal.
