Arsenal can do without Song, as long as they get Sahin

Alex Song of Arsenal FC in action during the pre-season Asian Tour friendly match between Kitchee FC and Arsenal at Hong Kong Stadium on July 29, 2012 in Hong Kong.

With the news that Van Persie has completed his switch to United, along with a string of painful photos of the Dutchman cracking smiles along with his new teammates, Arsenal fans could have hoped that the focus would have switched to on-field matters. Well, it seems very much like that wish might not be granted until September 1st.

There have been whispers and rumours that Barcelona are chasing Alex Song for a few weeks now. But until today, none of this has been official. In Wenger’s press conference today though, he finally admitted that the Cameroonian may be leaving the Emirates.

Barcelona officials are reportedly in London trying to iron out a deal, with Arsenal (ever the tough negotiators) hoping to hold out for £15m plus add-ons. I expect that the deal will be done. Various reports suggest Wenger is annoyed at Song’s attitude and wants to see him out the door. If this is the case, expect a deal to be done sooner rather than later.

Arsenal have inevitably been linked to a host of central midfielders this summer, more so since the Song rumours surfaced. The Nuri Sahin link seems to have the most weight behind it, and if Song leaves, I fully expect Wenger to move for the Real Madrid man. He will fill the creative void left by Song, and whilst perhaps not offering much defensive stability, his presence alongside Arteta and Cazorla in a midfield 3 should dissuade any doubters as to the wisdom of the deal.

If Wenger wanted to bring in a more defensive midfielder, it would seem the Argentine Lucas Biglia from Anderlecht would be the prime candidate. I confess to not knowing anything about the man, and I suspect a deal for Sahin is much more likely. Wenger placed a lot of faith in Francis Coquelin last season, and used him often in pre-season. So I imagine he would look to use him in more often, along with Emmanuel Frimpong when he makes his return from injury.

So, will Arsenal miss Song? One would think so. He was Arsenal’s top assist maker last year, and offers dynamism and strength in midfield. On the face of it, to lose a player like that days after waving goodbye to your talismanic captain seems like madness. In reality, it is far more understandable.

Perhaps it is Song’s assists which tell the story. He was deployed as Arsenal’s most defensive midfielder, yet constantly raided up the pitch, and left the defence vulnerable. Whilst providing some brilliant passes to Van Persie, he often dodged his defensive duties. He also frequently gave the ball away when attempting simple passes in the middle of the park, and gave away far too many fouls, often when found out of position.

Let’s assume Wenger does replace Song with Sahin. The technical ability of the midfield would immediately increase; Sahin is very good on the ball, and would likely be able to rival Song’s assist tally. Sahin also captained Dortmund to the Bundesliga title in 2011, which prompted his move to Real Madrid (he also won the Player of the Year award that season). To do that at such a young age is quite impressive. He would likely be deployed alongside Arteta in a deep lying playmaker role, much like Jack Wilshere in the 2010/11 season. His primary job would be to keep possession of the ball, and get it to Santi Cazorla in dangerous positions.

I imagine he would take more responsibility for his defensive duties than Song. Admittedly, he is not as good a tackler, but his positioning and awareness are likely to be much more valuable. Alongside Arteta, he would enable Arsenal to play their free flowing attacking game much more effectively.

There were times last season when Arsenal just couldn’t find their rhythm. They were far from entertaining on a fair few occasions, and sometimes, like at the Liberty Stadium against Swansea, they were even beaten at their own game. Sahin’s presence would surely go a long way to fixing that.

So, Arsenal fans, don’t be teary eyed about waving goodbye to Alex Song, as long as you’re greeting Nuri Sahin.