Mikel Arteta has been a great servant for Arsenal but there’s no doubt he is coming to the end of his career, meaning that a spot is available in the squad for the Gunners to invest into.
Arteta, in his day, was a regular starter for Arsenal and he is still the club captain; which means that filling his shoes will not be an easy task.
Therefore, Arsene Wenger will be looking for a player with a certain type of calibre to bring into the squad once Arteta hangs up his boots and Jonathan Kaney believes he has cracked that code, identifying five brilliant replacements for the Spaniard.
Add any of these names to our squad and we can compete for the biggest of honours. They may cost a few bob but it’s certainly worthwhile!
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Lars Bender
The Gunners have long been linked with signing one of the Bender twins – Lars of Leverkusen or Sven of Dortmund – however of the two, Lars seems to be the better option for us.
The 26-year-old German international is one of the best defensive midfielders in the Bundesliga and has the same qualities Arteta brings to the side on his best day with class and composure on the ball. Bender, however, has an added athleticism and aggression in the tackle that Arteta desperately lacks and a world class quality that we desperately need.
He would cost somewhere between £15-£20m, but at just 26 and entering his peak years, the fee would be more than worth it to bring quality into a position we severely need to strengthen.
Ilkay Gundogan
25-year-old Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan was one of the central figures in Dortmund’s Bundesliga winning seasons and on the road to their appearance in the Champions League final in 2013.
He is an industrious and classy box to box central midfield player, who would play a more advanced role than Arteta would, but would assist in attacks and be a more fluid player in the squad.
With him 26 now and entering his peak years, he is a star that is definitely worth considering.
Grzegorz Krychowiak
A defensive midfielder that most Gooners want to see come in to replace Arteta is 25-year-old Sevilla star Grzegorz Krychowiak, who brings power, height, strength and pace to the centre of the pitch.
The Pole, offers a different dimension in the first team to Arteta, but would be a huge step up in quality to the Spaniard. He is proven on the European stage and would be an excellent candidate to replace him. Unfortunately, with him recently signing a new long-term contract with Sevilla, it will most likely next summer until he will be available.
William Carvalho
The highly-rated 23-year-old defensive midfielder looked destined to arrive at the Emirates in the summer until a bad injury ruled him out as one of our targets.
Speculation was rife he would sign a new deal at Sporting shortly after his injury, however with talks stalling, he is back on our radar.
Carvalho has everything in his locker to replace Arteta, and has the added bonus of being far more combative and direct than the Spaniard as he looks to build attacks as well as shield the defence. He is more like Coquelin than any of our other central midfielders, which gives us another option should the Frenchman get injured.
Luis Gustavo
Another player who could be a potential target to replace Arteta is Brazilian Luis Gustavo, who has been linked with us for several seasons now.
He’s a core player in the Wolfsburg midfield. However, there was always a suspicion that when he left Bayern Munich for them it was always temporary until an elite club came back in for him.
He seems settled there, but would be an option for us to explore as a short-term option. He’s excellent at retaining possession, surprisingly strong on the ball and in the tackle for his size and would be a top-rate and experienced defensive midfield option in the squad.