Have Arsenal Missed the Boat in Transfer Chase for a Defensive Midfielder?

At the start of the summer, it seemed one of Arsenal's primary transfer requirements was a new defensive midfielder.

Although Francis Coquelin had been enormously impressive after coming into the team midway through 2014/15, there was no obvious alternative to the feisty Frenchman in the event of an injury. When it comes to Arsenal, injuries to key players are almost to be expected rather than merely guarded against, so it was felt that Arsene Wenger should act quickly to provide cover for his new anchor man.

However, it seems as if several of the obvious options are already beyond Wenger's reach.

David Vincent/Associated Press

For months, it seemed that Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin would be a prime target. There were even reports, via the Daily Star (h/t the Mirror), the Gunners had concluded a deal for the France international towards the back end of last season.

However, the player has since joined Manchester United, seemingly with little challenge from Arsenal. Presumably, Wenger felt the reported £25 million fee was simply too much to pay for a player who was not a guaranteed first choice at the Emirates Stadium.

For Arsenal fans eager to see the squad strengthened, the news that William Carvalho has suffered a stress fracture of the tibia and will subsequently be unable to move during this window has compounded the blow of missing out on Schneiderlin. According to Anthony Hay of MailOnline, the powerful Portuguese midfielder was a major target for the Gunners, who will now have to set their sights elsewhere.

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

If Carvalho was the intended purchase, it will be hugely frustrating to miss out on him this summer. He enjoyed a fantastic tournament at the U21 European Championship, with his dominating midfield displays guiding Portugal to the final and seeing him ultimately named as the Player of the Tournament.

If Schneiderlin was overlooked with a plan in place to snare Carvalho, Wenger must now be concerned the pool of potential targets is dwindling. Arsenal have extended Mikel Arteta's contract as a way of safeguarding against potential recruitment issues, but even the Spaniard's biggest admirers would be forced to admit he struggles to replicate Coquelin's combative contribution to the side.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

The skipper insists he can still contribute, telling Arsenal.com:

"

The good thing about football is that it doesn't matter what you did last week, so it doesn't matter what you did six months ago, a year ago or what I've done in the past here.

Everybody is starting from zero from the beginning of the season and you need to earn your place. When I have been fit I have always been involved. Obviously the years go on and you have some players coming in, which makes the competition strong, but that's what you're here for, to make each other better. For that we need to work hard.

"

However, the very fact Arsenal waited until the end of season before renewing Arteta's contract demonstrates there was genuine doubt about his capacity to make an impact on the first XI this season. If a superior alternative becomes available, Arsenal should still be on the market.

The concern is that time and options may both be running out. With the obvious targets disappearing, Wenger may have to pull a rabbit from the hat if he is to provide Arsenal's midfield with the requisite strength in depth.

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.