Morgan Schneiderlin was once, if reports are to be believed, a transfer target for Arsenal over the summer, and we could well see Arsene Wenger rekindle his interest in the 25-year-old after the midfielder admitted he wants to play for a ‘big club’ if Southampton fail to secure a Champions League spot.
The Saints have made a remarkable start under Ronald Koeman this season and currently sit second in the Premier League table behind Chelsea, but Schneiderlin, who was forced by Saints management to stay put over the summer, has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club after the current campaign concludes.
Quoted in the Daily Mail, the Frenchman said:
‘I just turned 25, I turned a corner. I want to play for a big club as a career passes quickly.
‘Today I am in Southampton. We are second in the Premier League, we have done well. We’ll see what will happen if we are still in the Champions League places at the end of the season and I will make the choice. I will see with my club.’
These comments by Schneiderlin would’ve alerted the likes of Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal and we should expect to see a transfer tussle between the trio next summer.
We could well do with a defensive midfielder coming into the squad with both Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini getting on. Despite both doing a decent job in front of the back four, we need someone who can play in this position for years to come, someone with strength, good technical ability and aware of their position.
He is also French and Wenger can use this to his advantage.
We need a new anchor man arriving, if not this winter then certainly in the summer, and Schneiderlin would be a great signing as he has Premier League experience already under his belt.
He said Big Club.
Arsenal Lol – He said Big Club.
He said a big club. If he leaves, it will be to Paris St Germain, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich
As a Saints fan I think he is far, far better than anything that Arsenal have in that position at the moment. I actually think that he’s the best DM in the country with only Matic coming anywhere near.
The funny thing is that Wenger has been monitoring him for years but never got around to putting the money on the table. Arsenal could easily have bought him a couple of years ago so it would be strange if they go in for him next summer as the fee is sure to be huge.
There was a rumour going around that Wenger talked to Morgan in the summer and was asked if we was guaranteed a starting place and Wenger said no so Morgan’s focus shifted to Spurs. If true, this is typical of Wenger’s loyalty to his players but it’s bewildering that Morgan couldn’t get a starting place ahead of Flamini and Arteta.