Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Must Step Up Pursuit of Yann M'Vila

Barcelona is prepared to lay down a serious chunk of change for Gunner midfielder Alex Song according to The Daily Mail, and that makes the signing of Yann M'Vila more important than ever.

According to The Daily Mail's report on Sunday, the Gunners have some company in their pursuit of the Rennes holding midfielder:

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Tottenham are rivalling Arsenal for Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila after the French club confirmed they have had an offer for the 22-year-old.

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Despite Song's insistence that he's happy with the Gunners, depth is never a bad problem to have and M'Vila would be a welcome player to add to the fold. He would be a definite improvement over Mikel Arteta and Jack Wilshere (although more of an attacker) isn't expected back for two more months.

The Gunner club is in an interesting position. A ton of focus has been placed on Robin van Persie's never-ending saga this transfer season, but that doesn't diminish Arsenal's most glaring weakness as we approach the August 31 transfer deadline.

Arsene Wenger must address his squad's central midfield in the coming weeks.

Lukas Podolski is a major boost on the attacking side of things, but a stalwart defensive presence is necessary if they want to improve next season.

Last year the Gunners allowed 49 goals in Premier League play. Most of the blame should fall on poor play from defenders, but holding midfielders play a role in that as well.

Song started 34 games last season, but he's far from infallible. M'Vila's 38 starts in Ligue 1 last season would bring stability to the Gunner side and, at least, another capable option.

Using Song and M'Vila in tandem would give Wenger two very promising, young defensive midfielders. It would add flexibility to the Gunners' daily lineup and each player would be pushed by the other for the starting position. Competition, like depth, is rarely a bad problem to have.

This is the Premier League. There's rarely a reason not to add talent to your roster. You don't know what injuries will occur in the future and you don't know how well players will play from year to year. 

Wenger must increase his efforts for M'Vila, and Tottenham's reported pursuit only adds to that. Leaving Song as the only consistent option in the holding midfield is a bad idea, and one Wenger must avoid.