In the world of football today, it is not uncommon to see players ply their trade in a number of different positions. Additional positions have been created, such as a defensive midfielder, secondary striker and so on. As all of these require a multitude of different strengths, those that have played in them will acquire skills to play in other positions. For example, a box-to-box midfielder may be able to play as a full-back because they have been taught how to attack and defend.
The whole argument about signing players that do not specifically play in the position is reasonable, but it is also flawed. Those who are for this argument tend to forget that many of the players that we see today previously played in different positions. Gareth Bale was a full-back at Southampton and during the early stages of his Tottenham Hotspur career.
An example for Arsenal fans is that Mikel Arteta was an attacking midfielder at Everton, but Arsene Wenger quickly turned him into a defensive midfielder. He is a very good one at that. With Arteta not getting any younger, thoughts have turned to a replacement and the Daily Star have reported that Sami Khedira has been lined up.
However, this interest has been met with a mixed response, as fans are unsure whether he will be able to play in the defensive midfield role and stay there; they worry if he will stay in his position. At Madrid, Khedira is a box-to-box midfielder, similar to Aaron Ramsey’s role at Arsenal. Most football experts and even his own team-mates would say that Khedira has the skillset needed to play in the DM role.
I agree, as he has shown that he can adapt to any position the manager wants him to and he is always defence-minded. His stamina and passion allow him to attack and defend at any point in the game. He is a fantastic player and one which the Gunners should not dither over because of one technicality.