Arsenal Transfer News: Real Madrid Star Isco Must Be Gunners' January Priority

Arsenal are reportedly preparing to launch a January offer for Real Madrid's Isco, and while the Gunners have several defensive needs they desperately need to fill, a move for the Spain international has to rank high on their list of priorities.

According to the Express' Anthony Chapman, Arsenal and Liverpool have both turned their attention from Barcelona's Pedro to Real's Isco, with Juventus looking like they'll win the race for the former's services.

Isco saw a steep drop in playing time following an injury in the 2013-14 season, and the summer arrival of James Rodriguez has him tumbling down Los Blancos' pecking order, per Marca's Hugo Cerezo:

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Isco will be looking back to last season with fond memories. 12 months ago, he had just joined Real Madrid, was delighting the Bernabeu faithful and was stringing together a run of first-team appearances and goals. Right now he has been relegated to squad player.

Ancelotti has only started him at Anoeta, and in two games he has not even come off the bench: the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup and Tuesday's game against Basel.

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The 22-year-old was one of Real Madrid's marquee signings in 2013 after a phenomenal season with Malaga, and he was widely viewed as the future for Spain in midfield. Blessed with all of the physical tools required to be a top forward, many wondered why Carlo Ancelotti wasn't willing to give him more minutes in the Spanish capital.

Rodriguez's emergence as a global superstar has made Isco all but expendable for Los Blancos. With the Colombian, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo firmly entrenched as the team's starters and Luka Modric playing a pivotal role in the centre of the pitch, Isco's chances of changing his current situation are slim.

It's no secret Arsenal's biggest needs are on the defensive end. The holding midfielder position remains a bit of a question mark, and the depth at centre-back behind Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker is shallow. Those issues need to be resolved in January, plain and simple.

But after one month of Premier League action, one could argue the Gunners have an even more pressing need—Mesut Ozil's situation on the left wing. While defensive depth is a problem, Calum Chambers has at least been able to mask Arsenal's frailties in that area.

The same doesn't hold true for Ozil, who Arsene Wenger insists on playing out wide. The German international is a phenomenal player when he has the freedom to drift from a central role, but he needs to be the one setting the tempo and creating chances.

Played in such a free role, Ozil can be great. But if he's pushed into being a winger, he loses what makes him great. ESPN FC's John Brewin agrees:

Wenger's insistence on playing Ozil out wide will likely wane once Theo Walcott returns from injury, and paired with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the Gunners would have a solid group of wingers on the pitch. Both are excellent players, and the latter has the potential to be far greater if his development continues.

Neither is the kind of impact player Isco is, however. Like Santi Cazorla, he's not a pure winger, but a creator who is equally adept in the centre of the pitch and out wide. In many ways, he's comparable to Manchester City's David Silva, who serves as City's creative engine but would be just fine if Manuel Pellegrini stuck him out wide.

If that's the kind of player Wenger envisions when he draws up his starting XI and slots Ozil in on the left, Isco's situation with Real makes him an interesting target. He would allow Ozil to move back in a central role, and Wenger could even pair the two in midfield and drop Cazorla in favour of a true winger like Walcott.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Out wide, Isco has the pace and dribbling skills to be a difference maker—Ozil doesn't. The latter is a playmaker, plain and simple. Isco is a more versatile attacker, and one who is currently wasting away on Real's bench.

As reported by AS' Marco Ruiz, Los Blancos' debt has grown by 11.3 percent in the last year. If Isco's situation in the Spanish capital continues, he could be moved for a manageable fee in January, providing he's open to a transfer.

Arsenal have to be in the thick of the race for his signature. Players of Isco's calibre don't become available all that often, and the Gunners could promise the youngster a starting spot in their XI from the moment he signs on the dotted line.

Isco might not solve the Gunners' defensive needs, but if his arrival signals the end of Ozil's time on the left wing, Arsenal would kill two birds with one stone. Not only would the German return to his strongest role, in the centre of the pitch, but they'd also add the kind of attacking talent that could lead the club to glory for years to come.

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