As soon as Arsenal returned from their pre-season tour, rumours have started their course. And the latest name to come back in the Arsenal circuit is Ligue 1 midfielder Jean Michael Seri. Reportedly, the Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is keen to land the 26-year-old as he tries to get in few more players before the club goes into their next season in two weeks. The Ivory Coast international reportedly has a release clause of €40m (£36m), which should be easily met by Arsenal.
One of the major observations for Arsenal from their pre-season tour was their huge gap in midfield. Arsenal had to leave Jack Wilshere and Santiago Cazorla back due to their respective injuries. The likes of Francis Coquelin and Ainsley Maitland Niles and Joe Willock were seen used in the midfield with Granit Xhaka remaining constant, and if things are actually as they seem, Arsenal need one quality midfielder and fast.
Mohamed Elneny was used more in their central defence and barring certain instances, the Egyptian wasn’t very disappointing in his new role. His lanky figure and good passing helped Arsenal to dictate the game right from the back and also recover lost balls in no time. However, Wenger will have numerous options there and Elneny will hardly be seen at the back.
But as far as his midfield abilities are concerned, he is being considered to leave the club. Wenger would need someone like Coquelin, only a better and consistent version this time, and OGC Nice’s Seri fits the description quite well. A central midfielder by nature, the player is more defensively inclined but still possesses a knack for scoring fantastic goals and creating chances.
He managed seven goals and nine assists for the Ligue 1 club last season. The new trend of having a midfielder with unparalleled stamina, which has been set by the likes of N’Golo Kante at Leicester City or Naby Keita at Red Bull Leipzig, will be perfectly met by Seri at the Emirates.
Whether it is passing, dribbling, taking long shots or finding that incisive through ball which could be perfect met by Alexandre Lacazette and finished off, Seri excels in all. Of course, at 168cm, he won’t be a threat in aerial duels which needs to be mostly taken care of by Xhaka, but apart from that, his tireless game would leave the Swiss international with enough time to pick his passes up front.
Arsenal will start their season before everyone in the curtain raiser, against Chelsea in the Community Shield and against Leicester City on 12th August in the Premier League. The future of Wilshere and Elneny will be decided by then and hopefully, Seri should have his way in.
