Denmark vs France World Cup 2018: Why Arsenal should do everything they can to sign Steven N'zonzi, scouting report

When Patrick Vieria left Arsenal in 2005, few would have predicted it would take over 13 years to recruit a similar type of player to replace him in holding midfield. Arsene Wenger preferred the more technically accomplished midfielder over an enforcer who can plug gaps between the midfield and defence, perhaps typified when he signed Granit Xhaka and persevered with Mohamed Elneny over signing N’Golo Kante.

Xhaka has limited time for defending and Elneny generally lacks the quality to make Arsenal a competitive team. However, Unai Emery has recognised this is one of Arsenal’s weakest areas and has identified Steven N’Zonzi as a player Arsenal must sign.

Arsenal showed interest in the French international in January, but head of recruitment Sven Mislintat was not convinced. However, Emery has reportedly convinced Mislintat that the club must pay his £35m release clause and bring the player he signed at Sevilla to north London.

Making his first start in the World Cup, N’Zonzi started alongside Kante in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Emery’s preferred style, and showed exactly why Arsenal must stump up the money and sign him.

N’Zonzi was resolute and stuck to all his defensive responsibilities with the kind of discipline that has been absent from the Emirates since its grand opening in 2006. No player in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium stood out more than N’Zonzi who towered above everyone else on the pitch and used his physical advantage to dominate the battles in the middle.

Christian Eriksen caused havoc against Peru and Australia, but against France he completed considerably significantly less passes and failed to find a teammate with a single key pass. Of course, the standard of opposition was higher so it is no surprise that he had less of an impact, but, Eriksen had been completely taken out the game by N’Zonzi and Kante.

The Sevilla and France midfielder was smart with his positioning and frequently broke up play with interceptions and by using his physical strength. He knows his games and the limitations of what he can do. He won’t be spraying cross-field passes, or threading a delicate pass to release teammates behind a defence, but there is no way he will ever leave a defence exposed, which is exactly what Arsenal need.

It was not a standout performance that is going to set the world alight, nor is it likely to keep Paul Pogba out of the side if Didier Deschamps wants to play an attacking team in the round of 16, but there were undertones of a very good player on show.

Signing him would be a notable shift from the elegant and eye-catching midfielder which Arsenal usually recruit, but it is an essential place to start. Emery paid around £8m to Stoke for a reasonably accomplished midfielder and started to develop him into a player Arsenal would be absolutely foolish to not sign.