5 reasons why Sami Khedira is perfect for Arsenal

There has been a lot of talk and speculation going on for at least quite a while now as to where will Sami Khedira be heading to, or will he sign a new deal and extend his stay at the Bernabeu?Sami Khedira in an interview with a German football magazine revealed as to how he plans to quit the capital this summer and look for a new challenge and possibly even indicating how he would want to take on a leader role wherever he goes this summer.Is Sami the much vaunted defensive midfielder at Arsenal? Is he the missing piece of the jigsaw-puzzle that will finally force the floodgates open and allow Arsenal to win everything that there is? Well, I have got reasons as to why he might indeed be the answer.

#1 He is what Arsenal need

Arsenal, in this season alone have tried up to ten different personnel in the position of defensive midfield, from Chambers to Chamberlain, finally recalling, quite successfully, Coquelin from on loan to Charlton Athletic just before Christmas. Although, he has provided the exactly needed tonic to Arsenal post new year, it isn’t very prudent to completely depend on him alone along with Ramsey to provide DM depth in the coming seasons.

One could see how Arsenal have continuously improved post Christmas and one major reason being attributed for it is the renaissance of Coquelin and very importantly, the discipline that he has shown in that position. The same discipline can also be expected of Khedira, who showed it quite doggedly under Mourinho at Madrid.

Arsene Wenger has favoured a line up of 4-2-3-1 for the majority of the season. Majority because, he started the season with a 4-1-4-1 playing Flamini in the pivot. But that didn’t yield results as expected and Wenger has resorted to the more familiar, and a well working 4-2-3-1 with a pivot of Coquelin and Santi or Ramsey beside him interchangeably.

So, Khedira can be expected to take over the role of Coquelin which is basically to protect the back four, put in tackles, keep spraying passes and allow the more creative players in the squad to push on and attack. Basically, the role he was playing for Madrid under Mourinho alongside Xabi Alonso.

Also, since he can be a Box-to-Box midfielder too, he can very competently substitute for Ramsey during periods of the season where the Welshman needs a rest or is out with an injury.

#2 There will be departures

Arteta is running out of a contract at the end of the season and so is Flamini, so those are two players heading out and vacating DM space at the club. So, it is only natural for Arsene Wenger to look to sign a midfielder starting next season. What better than to sign a player who will provide what you need, defensive depth along with proven quality in the midfield. He is often classed as a pure Box to Box midfielder, but he can be the stopper, pivot to screen the last line of defence too.

He runs out of contract this summer and this is one thing that screams out to every potential club that is looking to sign him. And, what better way to entice Monsieur Wenger than a free agent. Yep, Khedira will be a free agent and that means Arsenal will only have to worry about his pay package. And, if reports of Chelsea being able to afford his wages better than Schalke are to be believed, Arsenal, quite naturally should be able to match themselves what Chelsea have to offer the German.

Combining both, Arteta and Flamini’s salary will more than make up for the wage demands of Khedira. There will also be more departures, seen likely in the form Podolski and Rosicky leaving the club this summer, the wage structure at Colney shall also be revised and that could also allow more signings and replacements in the squad.

#3 He is better than other transfer targets

One thing that he doesn’t have on players linked with Arsenal like Lars Bender and Morgan Schneiderlin is, age. He is older than both of them. But, things that are in favour of him is the lack of a transfer fee needed to recruit him as he is a free agent and also has more experience, both domestically and European wise over both of the aforementioned rumoured targets. Maybe, stats wise, he hasn’t been better than either of them in the recent seasons, but that could be because of the injuries and relapses that he has suffered in the last two years. New start and he could just as well be good if not better than Bender or Schneiderlin.

He is only 27 now, he still has quite a few years ahead that will allow him to play top flight football for the near foreseeable future. So, it can’t be termed as a short fix or a panic buy that Wenger has come to be known for in the recent few seasons. He should be at the peak of his abilities right now and also continue for another 4-5 years easily unless injuries decide to blight down his career.

Signing him would signal a major transfer success for Arsenal as he has got more pros than cons and a risk worth taking purely because of his past career record. Has won trophies everywhere he has gone, been an important part of every team he has played in, commands peers’ respect and lastly, language wouldn’t be a problem either, as he is very proficient with English.

#4 He is a proven winner, leader

He has trophies, from league titles in Germany and Spain to World Cup and Champions League. That is a pretty impressive collection of silverware one must agree. Also, before he went to Real after impressing in the 2010 World Cup, he used to lead Stuttgart and was the captain of the victorious German U-21 team that won the Euro in 2009 defeating England.

He was also given the temporary captaincy in the absence of regular captain Bastian Schweinsteiger in the recent friendly against Australia. So, it is only logical to expect him to come into the Arsenal squad as a senior member and with experience of captaincy behind him.

And Arsenal have two captains in Mertesacker and Arteta, both, who haven’t been featuring in the starting eleven regularly this season. They are also expected to play not too much of a dominant role in the upcoming seasons. That is if they have any role at all at the club as Arteta is running out of his contract and Mertesacker being seen as just a bit-part player providing back up to the newly established CB partnership of Gabriel and Koscielny. Santi Cazorla, who is the third in line for captaincy is also on the wrong side of thirties and isn’t going to get any younger.

So, it can only be considered a coup to sign a world cup winning, free agent in Khedira with captaincy expertise in him. He will also be a senior member in the squad because of the young average age at the club.

#5 An \'injury-prone\' Khedira is a myth

Yes, he isn’t as injury prone as people have made him out to be in the recent years. If you look at Khedira’s injury history, the number of games that he has had to miss being injured are the same in the last two years as against his entire playing career.

The biggest injury lay off before the cruciate ligament tear he suffered against Italy in 2013, was a fatigue fracture which made him miss 7 games in 2009 as opposed to the 39 games he missed after the injury against Italy.

He has suffered from injuries lately, but that could just be a blip in his more consistent career record and one that he has certainly overcome in the last few months as was indicated by his selection to the National Mannschaft.

This league doesn’t allow a winter break and Khedira has never played in a league without a winter break. So, playing through the Christmas fixtures is something that he will have to get used to. But, a task not too improbable for him as he has become renowned for the physicality that he brings to a team and playing through Christmas shouldn’t be that much of a problem.

Also, he will have Coquelin, who only recently signed a contract extension as a cover whenever the fixtures come thick and fast.