It says something about Arsenal’s squad when a player of Francis Coquelin’s inexperience causes Arsene Wenger such a headache.
The young Frenchman has shown some promise in deputising for Mikel Arteta as the Gunners’ midfield anchor but a hamstring injury rules him out of tonight’s Premier League clash at home to West Ham.
With Arteta still unavailable, Arsenal have an alarming shortage of defensive midfielders. Emmanuel Frimpong, fresh from his loan spell at Charlton is a possible option. Abou Diaby is too attack-minded and in any case, four consecutive games following injury have taken their toll.
“It is a position where we are short,” said Wenger. “We are short when Arteta is not there because he is a player with a lot of experience, he gives us stability and you could see that in the last two [Premier League] games.
“It is a position where we are vulnerable at the moment. Diaby is one of the guys I will have to check. You could see he was not completely physically fresh from the start and he did dig deep on Sunday. He played four games on the trot after being out for three months.”
Wenger could use a centre-back — perhaps Thomas Vermaelen — in a midfield role to shield the back four but it is hard not to see the situation as an advert for dipping into the transfer market.
The Hammers bring with them Mohamed Diame, who reportedly has a £3.5million buyout clause, and with Arsenal monitoring the situation, Wenger said: “He has a great presence in the games. I’ve seen him in games where he’s had a big impact, for example against Chelsea. He can drive the midfield.”
