Arsenal are not that confident anymore that they will be able to secure one of the many players they have targeted in order to strengthen the connection between the defense and the midfield. The first name they missed is Khedira who despite looking closer to Emirates than any other side, ended up leaving for free to join Juventus. Wenger also considered Schneiderlin who is looking closer to Manchester United right now. Two other names worth mentioning are Geoffrey Kondogbia and Iikay Gundogan, both being rated as unlikely to join the Gunners even though the benefits would definitely be mutual. According to Squawka, Wenger is well aware of how difficult it will be to bring to the Emirates any of the aforementioned players. The Frenchman has found a backup solution destined to prevent Arsenal from facing a squad crisis like they did over the past years especially when it comes to midfielders. Lille’s Idrissa Gueye has made it to the wanted list and could be the most plausible solution for Arsenal given Coquelin’s top notch performances.

Most say that there is no need for a big name to join the midfield and that the Gunners are set. They just need to increase strength in numbers rather than in quality. The 25 year old Senegal international looks like a decent solution and even though he is under contract until 2018 he might still be available for a transfer. He is valued at well under £10m even though he has a great rate in terms of winning direct duels and has shown great potential since 2011 when he claimed Ligue 1 glory alongside Gervinho and Hazard for Lille.