NO MOISES CAICEDO, no problem.Arsenal are believed to have submitted a third bid for Brighton’s Ecuadorian midfielder and Gooners’ anxiety levels are through the roof.
Thomas Partey gave Arsenal a scare when he came off with a knock at Man CityCredit: Getty
The Gunners are launching a third transfer bid for Moises CaicedoCredit: Getty
Since the initial concerns over Thomas Partey’s injury fans have been concerned over what we’ll do if a new midfielder isn’t brought in before the deadline.
It seems obvious now that while Albert Sambi Lokonga may well evolve into a true talent in time, he simply does not possess the mentality required to play as a sole defensive midfielder for now.
The young Belgian is fine with the ball, but shows little without it and that on its own rules him out as cover for Partey.
What seems strange, given the two failed bids for Douglas Luiz at the end of the last transfer window, is that Mikel Arteta and Edu had seemingly identified this as a squad weakness.
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So why then wait until the final week of this present window to bid for Caicedo?
We may never know the answer and we may yet further test Brighton’s resolve but what if we don’t and have left it too late to seek an alternative, given Mo Elneny’s absence?
The first thing to bear in mind is that Partey is not injured and will play this weekend against Everton, so we are truly looking at worst case scenario contingency plans.
We have cover for Granit Xhaka but do we have options for an injury to our Ghanaian lynchpin?
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My belief is that we have two possible solutions.
Firstly, we know that Oleksandr Zinchenko captains Ukraine from the base of their midfield.
Yes, international football is different to the Premier League, but we have seen our left-back step into Arteta’s midfield before.
Technically, the Ukrainian is without doubt able to play the defensive pivit role. He reads danger well, is more than proficient at avoiding the press, can operate in tight spaces and has the ability to start attacks with his passing range.
If we were to move Zinchenko into a deep midfield role, we are fortunate to have a quality international left back in Kieran Tierney to slot in at fullback.
The ever popular Scot would not let anybody down but has struggled to play the new role as Arteta has asked him. This being the case the team might have to slightly change their style, but Gabriel Martinelli’s workload would decrease with the return of his former pal overlapping.
If Arteta is set on playing the same way, and who could blame him as it is working so well, there is a second option that allows Zinchenko to stay at left back, supporting the midfield as he currently does.
At right back, Ben White is not required to step into midfield and operate more conventionally, supporting and overlapping Bukayo Saka.
We are blessed on that flank to also have two high level exponents of the role and, as we saw against United, playing Takehiro Tomiyasu at right back is seamless, and does not weaken that flank.
White has played the defensive midfielder role at Leeds in the past. Today’s White is a far superior model to the one who helped Leeds gain promotion and I have few doubts he could proficiently play in the position.
We have been stunned by his close control, intricate touches in evading challenges and his passing range, all evident during his successful transition from centre back to right back this campaign.
White will not be a Partey clone but his defensive awareness and understanding of what to do without the ball, would make his a far more compelling and mature option to Lokonga.
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I have not mentioned our new Polish addition as whilst I read he can play in midfield, to do so in a new league straight away would be a huge ask.
Let’s see what the deadline brings but let’s not be all doom and gloom. We are still top of the toughest league in the world and we do have strong internal possibilities if the our worst fears do materialise. More
