Talented Kondogbia not ideally suited to Man Utd or Arsenal
Published:Manchester United have Michael Carrick and Arsenal pick Mikel Arteta. Both are deep-sitting midfielders tasked with winning back possession and distributing the ball sensibly to start attacking forages.
It is the box-to-box option that both clubs are seemingly lacking to play alongside those previously mentioned and although Geoffrey Kondogbia is compared to Patrick Vieira in some parts, he does not have the attacking game to make him a natural in this role.
Arsenal do have Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby to perform such duties, but with this duo so injury prone, a more reliable alternative would be a worthy squad addition.
Anderson and Tom Cleverly are the closest Man Utd have to such a player and this is arguably the most in-demand position the Red Devils need to fill this summer, with Thiago Alcantara already slipping through their fingers.
Kondogbia has the physique and athleticism to become more of an attacking influence, but his time at Seville has seen him sit especially deep in midfield, with a focus on getting stuck into tackles to win back possession and then pass short distances.
The 20-year-old does not often break across the halfway line, keeps dribbles to a minimum and is rarely involved in the latter stages of goal creation.
Sevilla have been somewhat of a selling club already this summer with Jesus Navas departing for Manchester City and Alvaro Negredo still rumoured to follow soon, despite the deal stalling slightly.
Kondogbia could be available for as little as £8m, which would undoubtedly be shrewd business for a player of his potential and Real Madrid are seemingly out of the running after opting to sign Asier Illarramendi from Real Sociedad.
Instead, Man Utd would be better continuing their pursuit of Cesc Fabregas, especially given the understanding he previously enjoyed with Robin van Persie at Arsenal, while the Gunners would be better stepping back up their pursuit of Everton’s Marouane Fellaini.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
