2. Mapou Yanga-M'Biwa
Mapou Yanga-MBiwa is an underexposed, talented player who seems to fit the bill perfectly for Arsenal. To begin with, Yanga-MBiwa is technically strong enough for the Gunners. Ive seen a couple of his games for Montpellier and he seems to be quite similar to our own Koscielny and Vermaelen in that he is what you may call a modern centre back. Instead of being like a traditional English centre back (Big, scary and dangerous) in the mould of Tony Adams, Yanga-MBiwa is a compact and very mobile player with strong ball skills. This enables him to deal better with the quicker pace of the modern game and the tricky players like Chicharito, Suarez and Aguero. His good ball skills also mean that he can distribute from the back and fit into Arsenals passing game. Yanga-MBiwa would also be hugely helpful to Arsenal as he is incredibly versatile and can play across the entire back line, so as well as providing cover for the CB position, he can provide much needed back up to Sagna and Gibbs/Santos at fullback. Not only does this mean that we will get that much needed strength in depth, it also means that we dont face the familiar problem of top class players not joining us because theyre scared of sitting on the bench. In addition to this, Yanga-MBiwa has great experience for his age as like many of our young crop, he has been a regular first team player for many years. This is a benefit for us as it means he has plenty of years left to improve further, but his inexperience is not a problem. Over his time at Montpellier, he has become their captain; which at age 23 speaks volumes about his leadership qualities and presence. All in all, Mapou Yanga-MBiwa would be a fantastic addition to the Arsenal squad, providing much needed versatility, squad depth and a winning mentality instilled in him through captaining Montpellier to the French League title last season. The encouraging news is that he, along with Olivier Giroud, was told that he would be allowed to leave the club this summer by Montpellier President Louis Nicollin, so there isnt an issue about availability; his expected price will be in the £7 million region.