Barcelona midfielder, Ivan Rakitic might get pushed out of the club after the arrival of Philippe Coutinho recently. Arsenal are looking to rival Liverpool for the Croatian’s signature and bolster their midfield ranks with Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla sidelined with injuries.
Rakitic has stated the £142m fee the Catalan giants have paid for Coutinho is a bit too high and might face increased competition to appear in the starting lineup. The 29-year-old has been the leading man along with the likes of Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta to formulate the midfield trio ever since his arrival from Sevilla.
Barcelona paid a bargain price of £16.2m to sign the distinguished midfielder after his impressive display for the White and Reds. Rakitic has been crucial for the La Liga giants over the past three and a half years winning 2 league titles, 1 Champions League trophy and 23 Copa del Rey trophies.
Even with the arrival of talented youngsters like Denis Suarez and Andre Gomes, the Switzerland-born midfielder held his ground and has been the top pick under both Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde. But with the emergence of Paulinho and Coutinho the rightful choice in the attacking midfield role, Rakitic’s future is under threat.
Arsenal’s injury problems have curbed their growth and ambitions for the past decade now and it might be at it’s worst this season. Ramsey started the season off after a long spell on the sidelines, but just when he started to find his feet with regular game time a hamstring strain pulled him out of squad selection. Cazorla’s return also got prolonged after the Spaniard went under the needle again and has to redo his rehabilitation program to get back on the pitch.
Arsene Wenger is reeling off a shambolic display by his men against Nottingham Forest at City Ground last Sunday. His squad selection has been scrutinised but the Frenchman did not have much quality options to choose from after a busy Christmas period.
His current lineup of a defensive back three requires two holding midfielders to link up the side’s attacks. Rakitic can be a wonderful addition alongside Granit Xhaka or Jack Wilshere in the starting lineup after the exit of Mesut Ozil. The German’s departure might just be inevitable now and a quality addition like Rakitic is highly necessary.
However, with both Ozil and Sanchez leaving on a free transfer by the end of the season, will Arsene Wenger break the bank to sign the decorated midfielder who is unfortunately on the wrong side of his 20s?
