Arsenal place bid for Premier League star

It has been reported that Arsene Wenger has put an £8 million bid on the table for Blackburn captain and defender, Christopher Samba. Speculation has been rife around Samba ever since he admitted that he was very close to signing for Arsenal in January.

“Everybody knows that I am an ambitious player. I think a move to Arsenal was very close in January but that is life.”

Samba scores against Arsenal during 2009/10 season. Photo owned by timsnell on Flickr.

I believe that Samba is just the sort of player we need at the club. He may not be the most technically gifted centre back in the world, but he has the sort of winning mentality that this Arsenal team has been lacking in recent seasons. His desire and work rate is second to none. Furthermore, our inability to defend against any form of aerial threat has cost us dearly over the last few years. Our defenders simply lack awareness when it comes to defending against set plays. With Samba and Vermaelen at the back, we may actually get through a game without conceding from a corner or a free kick. It is clear that there is a lot of tension amongst the players when it comes to defending in such situations. Perhaps the sheer presence of Samba would ease such anxiety.

Another aspect of Samba which I like is the fact that he will score goals as well as prevent them. His aerial ability would not be restricted to our penalty area alone. He has scored 16 goals for Blackburn in the 4 seasons he has been with the club. Furthermore, he rarely misses a game. In the last 3 seasons, he has averaged 34 appearances in the league alone. Injuries have been a massive factor in recent seasons for Arsenal. A player of Samba’s consistency would be a breath of fresh air to our injury-prone squad.

Samba would be a great asset to the club. His aerial dominance coupled with his drive and passion for the game is just what is needed. For £8 million, Samba would be a steal. Whether the reports are true is another question. Of course, we will not hear a thing from the Arsenal website unless everything has been finalised.