Ignasi Miquel…heard of him? I thought not. He’s not English, he’s not a hurly burly centre back, and he certainly isn’t going to win any awards for being able to put his foot in and physically dominate forwards, so of course you won’t read about him in the football news.
However, Miquel is a young player who could be very cheap, talented, and successful for Arsenal, whilst at the same time saving them the trouble of going out and buying a Gary Cahill or Phil Jones for a ridiculously inflated price simply because they are English and have played for a half-decent side in the Premier League.
The youngster may not be making his first team debut straightaway, but his recent performance in the FA Cup against Leyton Orient showed that he is a man who is indeed capable of dealing with the physical elements of English football as well as a player who has the composure and ability to fit in well with the Arsenal way of playing. The Arsenal betting suggests the side will win trophies this year, but they still seem some way off the complete package.
Despite this, the odds are that the press and tabloids are going to be hankering after Arsene Wenger going out and spending cash on a young English player (remember the days when Arsenal were accused of ruining the English side because the boss didn’t play enough English players?), an occurrence which if it became a reality would allow the youngster to fade away at the Emirates and try his hand at another club. So, let us just hope that Wenger keeps his faith and is as brave with Miquel as he has been with young Wojciech Szczesny.
