Gundogan; Would He Replace Coquelin or Arteta?

Reports coming from Germany suggest Arsenal could be leading the race for Dortmund star Ilkay Gundogan.

Manchester United were previously believed to be in pole position for his signature and news of a deal was imminent but his recent injury record has seen them cool their interest, handing the advantage to Arsenal.

Arsène Wenger is no stranger to signing a player with a chequered injury history – Kim Kallstrom the most recently infamous of them. However, it should be noted that Wenger also took a chance on Marc Overmars that paid financial dividends and reaped on-field benefits.

The news that Wenger is seriously looking at strengthening the defensive midfield role with a high-calibre player is as welcome as a bonus for Starburst casino but is Gundogan the man for the job?

He certainly takes up a deeper role on the pitch but not as a recognisable defensive midfielder. Whoscored lists tackling as one of his weaknesses which puts him at a disadvantage to Coquelin who is an excellent tackler.

Bar the tackling he certainly has the physical attributes and tactical awareness to compete with Coquelin for the defensive midfield position but maybe he isn’t being eyed for a defensive midfielder role.

Gundogan as somewhere between a box to box player and a defensive midfielder could work well for Arsenal. His passing range is excellent and he likes to play long balls from deep which could benefit the style of either Giroud or Welbeck.

It is more likely that Gundogan is Arsenal’s idea of a long-term replacement for Arteta than Coquelin. Like Arteta he could well show an aptitude for a holding role and grow into his defensive responsibilities.

Wenger will find it hard to recruit a defensive midfielder who is ready to compete with Coquelin with previous targets like Gustavo and Carvalho unlikely to move and that may be why he looked to the future with the signing of Bielik.

Covering any potential injuries to arguably Arsenal’s most irreplaceable player may seem impossible without signing a like for like understudy but Arsenal’s 2015 form with Coquelin is not too dissimilar to Arsenal’s 2013/14 form with Arteta. Coquelin has been a revelation, like finding out you can play Starburst on mobile, but more so because he has a style we've wanted to see rather than the just as effective one we have been seeing from Arteta.

The famed double pivot can work with the right tactics and balance, and Arsenal showed last season they can do it. A mixture of Arteta, Bielik and Gundogan will be able to cover cup matches, ‘easy’ league matches and the odd Champions League game to help the club manage the fitness of Coquelin.

Gundogan isn’t quite a defensive midfielder but a signing of his quality cannot be seen as anything other than positive. Fingers crossed it happens.