Arsenal Need Midfield Reinforcements to Sustain Premier League Challenge

Arsene Wenger’s stubbornness is both his best and his worst quality. The faith he shows in his players pays off just as often as it doesn’t. Nowhere is that better illustrated than in the midfield ranks of Arsenal’s first-team squad.

Aaron Ramsey is probably the best Gunners player in that area of the pitch, marking him out as one of the Premier League’s best over the past two seasons. But it’s not long since Wenger was pilloried for sticking with the injury-prone Welshman.

A broken leg suffered at Stoke City shook Ramsey’s confidence, but Wenger knew that with his return, the midfielder could fulfil on the promise that prompted to pay £4.8 million for him as a Cardiff City teenager. And so it proved.

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Wenger might not have shown Francis Coquelin the same degree of faith as such, sending the Frenchman on loan to Charlton Athletic for the first half of last season. But even still, the Arsenal manager’s decision to keep Coquelin on the books was certainly worth it, with the 24-year-old central to the Gunners’ resurgence following the turn of the year.

But for every Ramsey or Coquelin success story, there is a tale like Abou Diaby—who left the club last week having made just two Premier League appearances in the past three years. Seen for so long as the natural successor to Patrick Vieira as the protective midfield barrier in front of the back four, Diaby left Arsenal after a series of crippling injuries that completely handicapped his career at the north London club.

The Arsenal midfield is once again the topic of much discussion this summer, with Wenger once again indicating that he will remain faithful to the players already at the club. That, of course, would be an ill-judged stance from the 65-year-old French coach.

Arsenal have numbers in the centre of midfield—with Ramsey, Coquelin, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini all at the Emirates Stadium. But it is the future of the latter two that should cause concern for those with an interest in the Gunners. 

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Both Arteta and Flamini are expected to sign one-year contract extensions before the start of next season. At 33 and 31 years old respectively, their experience is at least worth something to Arsenal, but for a club planning a sustained title challenge after the summer, they simply are not good enough. Wenger must aim higher.

This summer could prove to be the most pivotal in Wenger’s 18-year career as Arsenal boss. The Gunners made genuine progress over the course of the 2014/15 season, but they remain some way short of Premier League winners Chelsea. Wenger must recognise that, despite their development, Arsenal still need a few more players in key positions—like in midfield—before mounting a title challenge. 

In years gone by, Arsenal have been priced out of the market in their efforts to secure transfer targets, but the Gunners have flexed their financial muscle in each of the past two seasons—signing Mesut Ozil for £42.5 million from Real Madrid and Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona for £35 million. If Wenger is to splurge that kind of cash again, he must do it on a midfielder or a defender.

Indeed, there is value in the transfer market for Wenger this summer. It seems likely that Ilkay Gundogan will leave Borussia Dortmund before the start of next season, with Bayer Leverkusen’s Lars Bender also reportedly keen on a move away from the Bundesliga. Both players would be good midfield additions for Arsenal—and are the type of players the club must move for this summer.

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Wenger spoke about a need for midfield enforcements ahead of the January transfer window, but that such comments were prompted by a series of injuries suffered by the midfielders he already had. “There is a need there [to enter the market] but the right opportunity has to come up,” he said—as per David Hytner of the Guardian. “To buy, simply to buy, is not what we want to do but if the right opportunity comes up, we will do it.”

Arsenal are in their best position as a club for years. Not since the "Invincibles" era has the outlook been so positive for the north London team. Wenger’s side were really struggling as recently as December, but the second half of their campaign saw them qualify once again for the Champions League and underline their potential as a true Premier League force.

Wenger has adapted his principles, values and practices as a coach to take Arsenal to this point, but he mustn’t stop that development now. The Frenchman has just two years left on his contract at the club, providing an expiry date on his efforts to build one last great team with the Gunners. He must accelerate Arsenal’s progression further using the transfer market wherever he can.

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The Arsenal midfield is certainly in better shape now than it was just a few years ago. The development of Ramsey has given them drive through the centre of the pitch, with Coquelin perhaps the most surprising breakout star of recent times in the Premier League.

But in comparison to a team like Chelsea or even Manchester City or Manchester United, the Gunners come up short. They might have relative depth, but their true quality is rather thinly spread on the ground. Even if the Gunners sign just one midfielder this summer, that will represent a significant strengthening of both the squad and their Premier League title chances.

Arteta and Flamini have both served a purpose at Arsenal over the years, but if the club sees itself as a top-tier league challenger, they must move on and improve. The Gunners are now keeping hold of their best players, but they should learn when to let go of the ones they no longer need.