Clint Dempsey is a player who this week has been linked with a move to the Emirates but is it another Fulham man who Arsene Wenger should look to bring from West London to Arsenal.
Mousa Dembele has been fantastic for the club by the Thames for the past two seasons and in particular since Martin Jol took charge at Craven Cottage.
The Belgian moved to Fulham as a striker and has since been reverted to a more central role and his ball keeping skills and strength on the ball are simply second to none.
Described by fellow countryman Vincent Kompany as ‘the most underrated player in the Premier League’ Dembele could be what Arsenal need to support Alex Song and Jack Wilshere in the middle.
Wenger has become a fan of the 4-3-3 formation and that is a format in which Dembele is used to playing at the Cottage.
It seems our neighbours Tottenham have also been linked with Dembele, but of course we all know Champions League football seems destined for the Emirates, maybe not White Hart Lane, and this should help attract the ex-AZ man.
His goal scoring record is his only fault, in my eyes, the way he can shrug of any player is amazing and he always seems to keep control of the ball for as long as necessary and simply looks like an Arsenal player in the waiting.
With Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the wings, Robin Van Persie through the centre, Dembele could be the perfect fit to join Wilshere and Song and give Wenger’s side arguably the best forward six in the league.
It is thought Dembele’s price tag could be as high as £10 million, but this is a small price to pay for someone who could really help us mount a title challenge next season, also as he is a player not reliant on his pace, age becomes less of an issue and at 24 he could do at least 10 more years at the top level.
Both Mikel Arteta and Tomas Rosicky have been fantastic since the turn of the year, but I personally think adding Dembele to the squad will see him start in front of both those two.
Dempsey has been hogging the headlines and 22 goals is an absolute brilliant return for a player playing at a side like Fulham.
But he has only scored goals against three teams in the top half of the league, and this worries me what with the quality of the sides in the Champions League.
I would love to see both Dempsey and Dembele make the switch to North London, but it seems all the talk is linking us with the Texan when really Dembele is the one we should be chasing.
I would love to hear everyone’s views on this, and what players you think we need to bring in to mount a serious title challenge next season?
Michael Cox
Site editor
i dont really agree …hes a fantastic player but what we really need in midfield is a midfielder who can score and assist
ramsey and rosicky are having the same problem but with next season wenger could experiment with wilshere and aoc in that position with arteta and song playing so well
i personally feel ramsey is best in the position where arteta is playin right now (thats where he made his name at arsenal)
in an ideal world i would love shinji kagawa he would add speed/consistency/goals and assists but i dont see it happening
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Dempsey would be a great buy for Arsenal. Has passion for the game and never backs down. A warrior who has game. A great partner for RVP and very good in the air. Would give the Gunners a different look. Something they don't have. Dembele is good but would never start in the lineup so why buy him.
@Scott (USA)
I think that Dembele would start as I see him as a better player than Arteta, Rosicky and Ramsey. Yes Dempsey is very good in the air, I agree, I don't think many are better. However I think Wenger will stick with 4-3-3 for next season with Theo and Ox doing so well since January.
I just feel Dembele is almost the complete midfielder, his ball keeping is unreal and also he tracks back better than most and his strength is superb.
True Dembele is fantasic on the ball and very versatile but IMO a defensive liability in the midfield. A little slow for my taste but I understand where you are coming from. His skill can not be questioned. A very fun player to watch. I am a Demsey fan but I also think Dembele is a player that Wenger might buy. I don't see Wenger buying Demsey.
How is Dembele better than what we already have? He's been a ball winner and box to box player – we already have Song, Coquelin, Frimpong and even Arteta to do the central midfielder role. What we lack is some real quality in the middle of the pitch that can direct the attack. Ramsey is more of a runner, not a creator and it's really only Jack and even he is unproven at his age. Dempsey is not young and not old and is at a decent age where he would not overshadow Jack for years to come. Dempsey's experience would come in useful as we've seen from the likes of Arteta and Rosicky when we're pushing to achieve something. Wilshere doesn't have that experience yet, he may have the fight but he's still naive as a teenager.
I agree with this post. Dembele is the only player that I have seen giving the monster that is Alex Song a run around this season. Whoever buys Dembele will be in contention for big things.
Dembele is better than Coquelin Frimpong and Arteta in my eyes, I agree that he is the only player to have given Song the run around, this is all just my opinion of course and I respect the views of everyone who comments, unless they're a Spurs fan 😉