Arsenal are set to lose out on Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Marcelo Brozovic after reports emerged that he is on the verge of agreeing a move to Besiktas who are now in a better position to sign him than the North London club. Arsenal had dispatched scouts to watch the 22-year old since the start of this season and were impressed with his progress. Despite that, Besiktas seem to have made the 1st move as they have agreed personal terms with the talented midfielder.
Arsenal still have a chance though as Zagreb are holding out for £5m which is more than what Besiktas are willing to pay. Arsenal are more than capable of paying the £5m asking price and with their poor run of form, the need to strengthen and freshen up the team is imperative.
The Gunners have picked up jus 17 points in the opening 12 games which is their worst start in more than two decades. The last game against Manchester United ended in defeat despite them dominating the game which highlighted out some gaping holes regarding where they are going wrong. The key areas for concern are that of the holding midfielder and defensive depth.
Brozovic is a versatile player who can be deployed as a secondary striker or a central midfielder, but his natural position lies just in between those two positions as an attacking playmaker. With Mesut Ozil missing with injury and Aaron Ramsey’s poor form, Arsenal have lacked that killer pass at times as well.
The Croatian international has made 12 appearances in the league so far and has scored one goal and assisted four. In addition, he had made four appearances in the UEFA Europa league and has impressed after having made eight goal scoring chances for his teammates. Since joining Zagreb in 2012, Brozovic has made 92 appearances for his side. His good form in the last few seasons led to him being selected for the national set up in June for the World Cup.