French midfielders proving hot property in the transfer market
As far as the transfer market is concerned this summer, holding midfielders are proving to be hot property, with many expected to exchange clubs over the coming months.
Johannes Geis is the latest to have made an eye-catching move, trading Mainz for Schalke despite interest from a host of clubs across Europe. Confirmed overnight on Sunday, however, it's the transfer of Geoffrey Kondogbia to Inter that may well spark something of a transfer merry-go-round, particularly where French middle-men are concerned.
Monaco are rumoured to be interested in signing Giannelli Imbula to replace Kondogbia, with the Marseille man also on the radar of the likes of Arsenal and, latterly, Southampton. Any such signing for the Saints would, in turn, likely see Morgan Schneiderlin made available, with the Gunners again touted with a move, along with North London rivals Tottenham. Meanwhile, elsewhere interest persists from the likes of PSG in Paul Pogba, which would free up Yohan Cabaye for a mooted return to the Premier League.
If you've struggled to keep up so far, what this should have all made clear at the least is that Didier Deschamps has an incredibly strong pool of midfielders to choose from at international level!
We start with Kondogbia's move to Inter, which is certainly a statement of intent from a club that has lost its way in recent seasons. A flurry of six managers in the space of four years, all with very different approaches to the game, preceded the return of Roberto Mancini. The former Manchester City boss is now looking to reassert his stamp on a club whose squad includes a mismatch of players tasked with fulfilling a number of different positions and tactics.
The arrival of the former Monaco midfielder is seen as a significant step towards building a long-term platform from which to progress. The aim now is to retain the services of the sought after Mateo Kovacic and construct an XI around the midfield duo, with plenty of players set to fall by the wayside.
Kondogbia averaged 3.1 tackles and 2.5 interceptions per game in Ligue 1 last season, while a dribble success rate of 83.3% was the best in France's top-flight, helping to contribute to a WhoScored.com rating of 7.26. It's a score that equals that of Hernanes at San Siro in 2014/15, who is one of a number of players whose future now seems unclear since the Frenchman's arrival.
The thought is that, provided they keep hold of the young Croatian, Kovacic may move forward into the number 10 role, which could render the Brazilian surplus to requirements.
Had Inter opted to move for another of their apparent targets in Giannelli Imbula this summer, however, Kovacic may have been heading for the exit door at San Siro. The Marseille midfielder operates from a deep position in front of the back four but similarly to the Croatia international, Imbula looks to drive forwards with the ball, undoubtedly offering a greater asset through his ability to beat players rather than dispossess them.
The 22-year old completed more dribbles than any other player in Ligue 1 last season (110), so it's little surprise that he's attracted interest from across the continent.
Arsenal are thought to be long-term admirers but in the lookout for players to compete for a place with yet another young French midfielder - Francis Coquelin - they may well favour the more dependable option of Morgan Schneiderlin.
In that instance Southampton could make a move for Imbula, if rumours that a fee of around €22m are to be believed, with Arsenal likely to have to pay in excess of that figure to secure the services of Schneiderlin.
Should the Marseille man be interested in a move to the south coast, a partnership with the more defensively minded Victor Wanyama in midfield could add a new dimension to Ronald Koeman's side. The blow of losing a key player of Schneiderlin's ilk would certainly be softened by a signing of such quality as a replacement.
Meanwhile it's fair to say Arsene Wenger and former coach Mauricio Pochettino would be wise to firm up their interest in Saints' talisman and make Schneiderlin a primary target this summer. His Premier League experience certainly represents less of a gamble in the transfer market, and having attempted to force a move to the capital last year, the 25-year old would no doubt relish the chance to jump ship.
That said, Schneiderlin quickly put the disappointment of missing out on a summer move behind him in 2014/15, continuing to perform admirably despite having made his desire to leave the club abundantly clear.
Injury may have restricted him to 26 league appearances last season but averages including 3.7 tackles, 2.6 interceptions and an 89.3% pass accuracy would be more than welcome at either the Emirates or White Hart Lane. Indeed, such figures were enough to see him garner a rating of 7.51 from WhoScored.com - ranking ninth in the Premier League.
The nature of the transfer market will always dictate that replacements are lined up before any prized assets are sold and that is certainly the case already, before the window has even officially opened. It's clear then that any such transfers will have a knock on effect throughout Europe, and Kondogbia's switch to Inter looks as though it may just set the ball in motion for a few more deals to go through in the coming weeks.