Arsenal’s search for a new defensive midfielder has been well documented throughout the summer. After initially targeting Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin, Arsene Wenger baulked at the exorbitant price that the Saints were quoting for the 25-year-old Frenchman and decided to move on to other targets. Since then, several players have been linked with a move to the Emirates, ranging from William Carvalho to Mehmet Topal, with no move close in sight.
However, that may all be set to change soon, with reports in the Daily Star stating that the Gunners are lining up a move for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender as an alternative to the Manchester United bound Schneiderlin.
With young Francis Coquelin already in the squad , what Wenger really needs is an upgrade on that position and they will be getting precisely that in the 26-year-old Germany international , who has become a key player for Bayer Leverkusen since joining in 2009 from 1860 Munich.
Bender impressed with his dominating performances from the midfield last season, and helped guiding his club to fourth in the table. It has been highly surprising tthat the widely acclaimed player is still at Bayer, after being a consistently world class performer over the last three to four seasons.
He will certainly provide the Gunners a better option than Coquelin, who , despite being highly promising , is still relatively untested at the top level. Bender will provide the Gunners increased solidity and steel at the base of the midfield. He has the potential to be a shrewd acquisition , coming in very handy against the top teams who have the ability to expose Coquelin’s shortcomings.
All in all, the German can at worst be a calculated gamble, and at best, he can be the missing link in midfield that Wenger is hoping can help complete his title winning Arsenal jigsaw.