“My priority is to stay here. I am very happy here. I am happy to play in the team and everything is good.”
Mathieu Flamini, 31st January, 2008.
Edu, Vieira, Henry, Wiltord, Overmars, Ljungberg, Lauren ……. All of these players have left Emirates Stadium after great spells at the club, and not one have hit the same heights again. Of course, Edu and Vieira have struggled with injuries, and all were older than Flamini when they left, but nevertheless, it is hard to think of a player who has gone on to better his career somewhere other than Arsenal after breaking through to the first team.
Yet still Flamini has seen the big money over in toubled and trophyless Milan and decided to jump ship, after his breakthrough season in football as a central midfielder, that he has Wenger to thank for playing him rather than letting him sit it out, play Gilberto and release him to the likes of Birmingham instead og the great AC Milan.
He showed a lack of loyalty at Marseille when he moved to Arsenal and he has done it again here,and although I personally think he should have stayed and proved he could repeat his performances as a Gunner with his pals, where his first team place was guaranteed and a handsome enough offer was on the table, but in the current climate money talks more than commitment to a cause and the talented Frenchman will now run all the way to the bank with his rumoured £144,000 a week deal (although some reports suggest this was far from the truth).
Lets look first of all at what he has done this season:
- Added more energy and bite into the midfield.
- More of an attacking edge than when Gilberto plays.
- Peformed on the big stage when called upon.
Now he’s gone, it is these factors that we need to replace, or change our style of play for the second year running, something that is not an option in my mind. If we are to get a midfielder who does exactly what Flamini does, there are a couple of names who we have been linked with and would fulfill the role that is needed:
Gennaro Gattuso - There is no way I think he’ll leave to come here and presumably suffer a wage cut for his troubles, but if he did, he is the closest thing to Flamini on the planet in terms of playing style - he is fairly quick, very determined and aggressive in the tackle. He never stops running and some would say is a better and certainly more proven player than the Frenchman is. But realistically it’s never gonna happen.
Jean Makoun - This is the most likely transfer it seems at the moment, and one I’d be over the moon with, as he is a player I rate a lot and is a realistic target. At Lille he took up a role similar to that of Flamini/Fabregas as Makoun/Bodmer and I think that a partnership with him and Cesc would be good. He is not fantastic on the ball but neither was Flamini and if we need energy and sommitment Makoun has got it.
Miguel Veloso and Gareth barry - Veloso and Gareth Barry have both been rumoured, although not particularly strong rumours, and both are similar style midfielders. They are more calm and flow through games rather than chase every ball, they make use of good positioning to do defensive work and going forward are far more technical and so this change would mean a difference in style, with more keep ball amongst cetral midfield than this season and possibly a far better chance of winning games when fabregas has an off day, as both have great passing ability. Whether or not this would make a midfield partnership that does not focus enough defensively is a difficult question to answer. The main downside is the cost - Barry would be around £15m in total, while Veloso you would have to pay about £20m in structured fees like with Nani/Anderson.
