Before this summer transfer window started, if you had asked any Arsenal fan what was the one area they desperately needed to strengthen, the likely answer would have been the striker position. Bringing in £52 million record signing Alexandre Lacazette saw to that problem, and the Gunners will hope that he makes an immediate impact.
If you wondered as to the next position that needed reinforcements, it would have been in defence. Arsenal conceded 44 goals last season, the joint-most out of any side in the top seven. It was also their highest total in conceded for four seasons. That fragility was in evidence during eye-opening defeats to the likes of Liverpool on the first day of last season, and Chelsea, West Brom and Crystal Palace towards the end of the campaign. However, the emergence of young Rob Holding, combined with the astute addition of Sead Kolasinac from Schalke – voted the Bundesliga’s best left-back for 2016/17 – has bolstered another concerning area.
So, overall, it hasn’t been a bad window for the Gunners so far. They have strengthened areas that needed improving and early in the summer too – something they have been guilty of not doing in the past. But there is one position that is still a concern: central midfield. Over the years, Arsenal have been rich in talent in that position as Wenger has aimed at instilling an attractive, passing brand of football in his team.
Yet this season they are thin, particularly in ball-playing midfielders with the ability to control a game. Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka worked well as a pair in Arsenal’s new 3-4-3 system towards the back end of last season. But Ramsey is more of a player who likes to run from deep and join in attacks. In addition, whilst Xhaka is arguably Wenger’s best option in this area at the moment, there is still some uncertainty over whether he is meant to protect the defence or dictate play.
Francis Coquelin and Mohamed Elneny possess good engines and tackling ability but Arsenal need someone who will control the game. Santi Cazorla was that man but the Spaniard has had such horrible luck with injuries over the past two years that it would be wise for Wenger and Arsenal to move on from him. The diminutive Spaniard, who is now 32 is coming towards the latter stage of his career.
Admittedly, available players of Cazorla’s ilk and class are a rare commodity at the moment. This is mainly because clubs are refusing to sell due to the value that a playmaker brings to a side. But it is a well-known fact that Arsenal have the cash and Wenger has said recently that he expects a busy last few weeks of the transfer window. And during Cazorla’s spell on the sidelines last season, the Gunners struggled without his quick feet and vision in midfield.
So when Arsenal were linked, albeit briefly, to Juventus’s Miralem Pjanic earlier this summer, you would have done well to find an Arsenal fan who failed to be excited by these rumours. After several impressive years with Roma, Pjanic joined Juventus in 2016 as a replacement for the recently departed Paul Pogba and hit the ground running straight away.
His dynamism and skill in midfield meant that the Serie A champions didn’t miss Pogba quite as much as they first thought. The Bosnian gave Juve an extra dimension, providing nine assists from midfield – the joint fourth most out of any midfielder in the league last season. What’s more, Pjanic possesses superb ability from dead ball situations and has made a reputation from it throughout his time in Italy. Only Hakan Calhanoglu (11) has scored more goals from free-kicks than Pjanic (10) in Europe’s top five leagues since 2013/14, according to Squawka.
But the thing that should and possibly has already attracted Wenger to Pjanic is his passing ability from midfield. According to WhoScored.com, Pjanic was one of the top passing midfielders in last season’s Serie A with 1620 passes, boasting an impressive accuracy of 86.7 per cent. His passes were made with intent too, as the midfielder made 44 key passes into the final third – only three centre midfielders from Serie A made more.
Pjanic has a big admirer in Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri, who believes that he can become a great player. “He (Pjanic) can become one of the three best midfielders in the world, but every now and then when he gets a pass wrong, he acts like it’s the end of the world,” Allegri told ESPN after Juventus’s Champions League semi-final first leg victory over Monaco. “He needs to stay calm and relax, because his potential is only partially expressed.”
Perhaps it is an area of his game that needs to be improved, but the evidence is that Pjanic sets high standards for himself with his performances. Indeed in that game, Pjanic was outstanding, making more passes (50) and tackles (3) than any other player. He controlled the midfield and nullified Monaco’s dangerous attacking threat in the process. It was a superb midfield display on a massive occasion.
So would he improve Arsenal? The short answer is an emphatic yes. Pjanic’s passing, creativity from deep midfield and dead ball quality are all traits to his game that would add some much-needed quality to Wenger’s midfield. As mentioned before, Santi Cazorla was that man for Arsenal but his persistent injury problems, along with those of Jack Wilshere, have meant that it is time for Wenger to look at strengthening a former key aspect to his team.
Arsenal are at a stage now where they need to mount a serious challenge for a league title, and fast. The Premier League is an unforgiving division that will expose any weaknesses in team’s game. For Arsenal, they need to have all bases covered to stand a chance of winning the title for the first time since 2004. The Gunners have finally strengthened weaker areas this summer, but with the extra addition of Pjanic to a fragile midfield, they could be serious title contenders this coming season.
Main Photo
