Arsenal Transfers: 3 Defensive Midfielders Who Would Boost Gunners' Options

It looks as if Arsenal will be in the market for a new defensive midfielder this summer. Both Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta are set to leave the club after the expiration of their contracts, leaving Francis Coquelin as the only pure holding player in the squad.

Mohamed Elneny, recruited in January from FC Basel, is capable of providing cover in that position. However, he has shown he is at his best in a box-to-box role. Arsenal need someone who is suited to sitting deeper. 

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One mooted option is another man with ties in Switzerland, Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Granit Xhaka.

The Switzerland international has been linked by Rob Draper of the Mail on Sunday with a move to north London, with the two clubs reportedly haggling over a fee between £20 million and £30 million.

Xhaka seems to have many of the requisite attributes to fill the gap. He’s physically strong and technically gifted, aggressive in the tackle and accurate in his passing.

The 23-year-old more akin to Arteta than Flamini, conducting play from deep. However, he is much more mobile and robust than the fragile Spaniard.

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There are other alternatives closer to home. This past weekend, Arsenal’s mathematical chance of lifting the Premier League was wiped out by Leicester City’s emphatic 4-0 win over Swansea City.

Key to their dynamic performance, as he has been all season, was N’golo Kante. His dogged displays have been consistently brilliant and made him 2015/6’s stand-out holding midfielder.

Arsene Wenger has tracked Kante’s career for some time, per Sky Sports:

"

Of course I know him. You look at his career and you will be amazed. Because he played in Suresnes in Paris at the age of nine, 10 years old. After, he went to Boulogne as an amateur. They didn't want to sign him pro.

After, he went to Caen, and then he came finally to England. But, everywhere he has been, he has always adapted to the level where he was. 

One of my best friends in life knows him since he was 10 years old, and he spoke to me about him. We went to watch him and we saw he had quality, but I didn't know he would come so quickly to England. 

"

Wenger can’t fail to have been impressed by Kante’s impact since arriving on these shores. It would be difficult to prise him away from Leicester this summer, but money talks and a big enough bid could tempt the Midlands side into selling the 25-year-old. 

There are other options on the market. According to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, former Arsenal midfielder Luis Boa Morta has been dispatched to scout Danilo Pereira in action for FC Porto.

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The powerful Portuguese only joined Porto last summer from Maritimo, but Boa Morte believes he has the talent to succeed at an even higher level.

Per Jones, he said:

"

I’ve watched Danilo since he was 15 or 16 years old at Benfica. His development has been impressive, but I wasn’t surprised by it. Danilo has quality for a different challenge, he just need to be given the opportunity. Things are already easy for him at FCP.

"

Any of Xhaka, Kante or Danilo would be an important addition to the Arsenal squad. One of the key jobs for Wenger to undertake this summer is rebalancing his midfield options. A new holding midfielder will be absolutely essential for that process.

 

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.