Why Fernando Is the Manchester City Player Arsenal Should Try to Sign

For Arsenal, signing a player from Manchester City is likely to be extremely difficult. Not only are they a direct rival, but they also have huge financial resources which mean they are not obliged to sell any of their key talent.

However, in the forthcoming January transfer window, there is one City player who might pique Arsene Wenger’s interests. It’s not absolutely impossible to conceive of the Gunners launching a bid to sign defensive midfielder Fernando. 

That’s not to say he’s the only City player who would find a place in the Arsenal squad. There are plenty of players who Wenger would gladly have grace the turf at the Emirates Stadium.

Chief among those is Sergio Aguero: the Argentinian is precisely the type of forward Wenger has sought to add for years. Mobile, intelligent and clinical in front of goal, Aguero would quickly displace Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott as the spearhead of the Arsenal attack. Aguero even has the injury problems to make him an instant fit in north London. 

However, City would never contemplate letting Aguero join a domestic rival. What’s more, the Gunners would be unable to put them under the necessary financial pressure to force a move.

For that reason, the likes of Raheem Sterling, Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva are all also discounted. Their intricate midfield play would fit in brilliantly alongside Mesut Ozil, but Arsenal must see that the talented trio are now beyond their reach. 

When trying to identify a player who could plausibly move from the Etihad to the Emirates, there are two questions that need to be asked. Firstly, what do Arsenal need? Second of all, who might City be prepared to let go? 

What the Gunners need most of all is a competent holding midfielder. Francis Coquelin has been ruled out until February at the earliest with knee ligament problems, and Mikel Arteta is also out with yet another muscular injury. That leaves Mathieu Flamini as the only fit defensive midfielder on the club’s books.

Flamini is energetic and enthusiastic, but he is not of sufficient calibre to play regularly in a side with aspirations of winning the Premier League and Champions League. What’s more, he and Arteta will both be out of contract come the end of the season. Arsenal need cover and competition for Coquelin as soon as possible.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Fernando is potentially that player. Although not someone who regularly makes headlines, he is capable of being a key strategic component for an ambitious team. 

With Coquelin and Santi Cazorla out, Arsenal need a midfielder who can form a partnership with Aaron Ramsey in the middle of the park. With Ramsey more keen to get forward than Cazorla, the Gunners now require someone who is prepared to sit and hold.

Miguel Angel Morenatti/Associated Press

Fernando fits the bill. When Manchester City won at Sevilla in this season’s Champions League, the Brazilian’s inclusion in the team was a key factor in their victory. His deployment at the base of the midfield allowed his usually defensive compatriot Fernandinho to bomb on, replicating the box-to-box style he exhibited at Shakhtar Donestk. 

Fernando is the safest of the safe. His conservative style may not be particularly exciting to watch, but he does an excellent job of protecting the back four in a manner not dissimilar to Gilberto Silva—the former Arsenal midfielder once dubbed The Invisible Wall. 

He doesn’t mind a tackle, but his game is based principally upon intelligent reading of the game that allows him to snuff out attacks without committing himself to the ground. Fernando can interpret the play ahead of time, stepping in with an interception when lesser players would be forced into a desperate lunge.

In each game he makes an average of four key defensive actions—the exact figure Coquelin produces, and one action greater than the average contribution of Flamini. 

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

He can play, too. Arsenal occasionally miss Arteta’s steady distribution from deep in the midfield. With Santi Cazorla out and Ramsey occasionally prone to being overly ambitious on the ball, the Gunners need someone reliable to keep the play ticking over.

Fernando can be that man: In this season’s Premier League he has completed an impressive 89 percent of his attempted passes.

However, despite all this he is not a regular fixture in the Manchester City team. City have played 16 times in this season’s Premier League, but Fernando has started only six of those games.

That’s down to the sheer number of options at Manuel Pellegrini’s disposal. This summer he added Fabian Delph to the duo of Fernando and Fernandinho. With so many potential candidates for the holding role, Fernando has had to make do with being relentlessly rotated.

Clint Hughes/Associated Press

Would City let him go? Not without a fight. The board at the Etihad would be loath to strengthen one of the main contenders for the Premier League title. However, Fernando is not integral to their squad, and the club do have to find a way to meet Financial Fair Play regulations.

Arsenal could try to take advantage of that red-tape situation by taking Fernando off their hands—and their wage bill. 

The player might well be up for it. Move south, and he could further his career. At Arsenal he would stand a better chance of securing a regular first-team place. He’d be the undisputed first choice until Coquelin’s return, and then the two would battle it out for supremacy. Wenger should surely hope that the intense competition would bring the best out of the two burly ball-winners.

Fernando is not in the same class as some of Manchester City’s players. However, he is someone who could fill a positional requirement at Arsenal and might—just might—be available for the right price.

He’s not someone who would necessarily provide an upgrade on Coquelin, but he would plug the gap created by the Frenchman’s absence. If Arsenal get the chance to take on the quick-thinking Brazilian midfielder, it might just be worth a punt.

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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.