Gunners Re-Sign Defensive Midfielder

Arsenal are set to announce that Mikel Arteta has signed a one-year deal to extend his four year stay with the Gunners and continue in his role as club captain.

With reported interest in Schneiderlin cooling, Kondogbia off to Milan and Vidal unlikely to move, coupled with Arteta staying on it seems Arsenal's search for a new midfield has been put on hold for this summer at least. This may be to the chagrin of many but it may well prove to be the right move for the club.

Despite possessing a swollen bank account Arsenal does not have bottomless pockets and still must spend their money wisely - albeit with the ability to do so in greater quantities.

The signings of Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez displayed a mix of the shrewd yet obstinate purchases of the caricature of frugal Wenger and the footloose and fancy free Wenger unshackled by stadium debt. These were players we needed to spend big to secure but also players we needed above all others. Wenger might have money to splash now but he won't compromise on quality for the sake of numbers.

Sticking with Arteta until something better comes along is another calculated move designed with the greater good of the long term future of the team in mind rather than a perfuntory one aimed at sating desires for fresh blood. Indeed Arteta's legs are on the way out but he still has plenty of gas in the tank to perform a support role to the statistical 'best defensive midfielder in the league' - Francis Coquelin.

There are 38 league games to play, so with a strong run in the cups Arsenal can expect to play 60 games this coming season and you would expect any first choice player (unforeseen/unavoidable injuries not withstanding) to complete at least 40 of those. With careful management of Coquelin's fitness and energy reserves he can easily complete 40 games plus which leaves just 20 games for Arsenal to rotate in other players.

With or without a change to formation/system Arsenal has 4-5 players currently on their books who can cover for Coquelin in certain games. There are at least 12 league games we should be able to win without the defensive shield Coquelin provides and in reality may benefit from resting him as we can play another creative player against some of those defensively minded mid-to-low table teams with no interest in attacking us. If we do our job properly in the Champions League there should be 2-3 games we can do without Coquelin and plenty of cup games too.

There is no reason we cannot manage without Coquelin in certain games to give him a rest and manage his health. Between Arteta, Bielik, Flamini (if he stays), Ramsey, Wilshere and even Cazorla there is plenty of cover for at least 20 games. It may not even come to that if we can secure a deal for a top target in January. At the very least the extension of Arteta is asking for just 4.5 months of patience.

Simply "managing" is not what Gooners want to see with the promise of this squad but surely it is better to wait for a player who can truly improve us rather than just a number?

Arteta might not be the defensive midfielder we all hoped we would get this summer but it is worth remembering that his partnership with Ramsey took us within 7 points of the title in a season ravaged with midfield injuries. There is no reason he cannot obtain that level again on a more sporadic basis in a supportive role.

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