Arsenal will regret not signing This Box-To-Box Midfielder

After a transfer saga that dragged on for months, David Moyes finally secured the signature of Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini for a staggering £27.5 million on the last day of the window.

However, having struggled to make an instant impression at Old Trafford, Fellaini has admitted that he could have easily made a switch to Arsenal during the summer. According to the Daily Mail, the Gunners made enquires about signing him from Everton, but in the end, Moyes was successful in convincing him to move to Manchester.

Last campaign the Belgian recorded a Squawka Performance Score of 1026 points, as he netted 11 times in 31 appearances. He ended the campaign as Everton’s top scorer, with a conversion rate of 16.9% – It’s clear to see why his stock was so high over the summer window.

Having played in just four league matches (and just one full 90 minutes) this season, it’s clear to see Fellaini is struggling to force his way into the regular starting line-up at Old Trafford and with just one Premier League win to his name, the Belgian admits he has had a difficult start. Despite spending a large fee on the Belgian, Moyes has seemingly favoured Tom Cleverley in the United midfield.

Considering his lack of game time this season, it’s not difficult to see the reason behind his deficiency of confidence. At Everton the club played their football through him, but at Manchester United this is not the case. For me, this is the most reasonable explanation for his current predicament. Although the same would be said, had he moved to the Emirates, Arsene Wenger has much more experience in dealing with big name players and I believe he would have dealt with the situation in a slightly different manner.

Fellaini has the quality of adaptability and during his time at Everton we witnessed his ability to play in both defensive and attacking positions. The Gunners have opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation so far this term, with Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey both playing holding roles in midfield. Had he joined Arsenal, I expect Wenger would have selected him ahead of the Frenchman. Although Flamini has proven a quality signing, on his day Marouane Fellaini is simply unstoppable.

Arsenal’s football has been tremendous so far this season. Premier League fans have witnessed some of the most exciting passing moves that have ever been seen in English football – Jack Wilshere’s goal versus Norwich is probably the most memorable example. In a defensive role Marouane Fellaini would have suited this style perfectly. With a pass accuracy ratio of 88%, the Belgian ranks significantly above the current Arsenal average of 85%. Although he would not be expected to take the creative burden from the likes of Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla, Fellaini has the capability to play Wenger’s favoured style of passing football.

Furthermore, his defensive contribution would have greatly benefitted the Arsenal back-four. Fellaini won 55% of his duels last season, having completed 60 of his 82 tackles and 60% of his attempted headers. For Manchester United this season, he has recorded a 100% tackle success rate and made an average of 4 defensive actions per match. The Gunner’s defence is often criticized as the weakest area of Wenger’s team, but with Fellaini in support, perhaps this wouldn’t have been the case.

Did Arsenal miss out in the summer? I would say so. Had Wenger activated the initial clause in Fellaini’s contract, Arsenal could have signed the midfielder or £20 million, a price significantly lower than the final fee paid by Manchester United. Sitting at the top of the Premier League, Wenger will not lose any sleep having missed out on this deal, however his side would have been stronger had anything materialised.