With Santi Cazorla experiencing yet another injury setback, it’s time that Arsenal started doing some much-needed succession planning. The 32-year old is now expected to be out until 2018, an absence that could once again halt Arsenal’s title push.
The likes of Granit Xhaka and Mohammed Elneny have adjusted to the Premier League quickly at Arsenal, neither of them has the skill set of Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard is a deep-lying playmaker with the ability of a false 9; he’s a rare oddity in football today. That’s why it’s imperative Arsène Wenger makes it his top priority to replace him.
Here are five possible replacements for Santi Cazorla at Arsenal.
4. Naby Keita
Perhaps the shining light of last year’s Bundesliga campaign, Naby Keita is now the name on most people’s lips. The 22-year old was one of the pivotal reasons that RB Leipzig were able to achieve the amazing feat of finishing 2nd in the League to Bayern Munich.
The amazing thing about the youngster is that he’s been classified as a defensive midfielder, but his stats and performances resemble that of an attacking midfielder. Last season Keita scored eight goals and provided eight assists in 29 league appearances.
At the moment the all-purpose midfielder is subject to strong interest from Liverpool and Barcelona. If Arsenal were to acquire his services, a bid in the region of £60m would have to be tabled.
