Arsenal have been urged to sign Giannelli Imbula by Arsene Wenger’s former recruitment adviser.

Speaking to Le Phoceen, Roland Cheubel said “Personally, I see him at Arsenal, I talk with Mathieu Flamini when he wants! He [Imbula] has remarkable technical ease, he knows what to do and he does not lose the ball, if he remains focused.

“Arsenal will definitely release poor Abou Diaby and Imbula is the Diaby of tomorrow.”

Imbula is a 22-year-old defensive midfield ‘powerhouse‘ who plays for Marseille. Making 34 league appearances this season for the French side, he also has two goals and two assists despite the main focus of his game being to stop the other side.

Under contract until 2018, the French u21 international is believed to be valued at around £8m which doesn’t seem like all that much and is right in Wenger’s sweetspot. He moved to Marseille in the summer of 2013 from Guingamp for just £2.64m.

With the emergence of Francis Coquelin at the club and Krystian Bielik purchased for the near future it remains to be seen if Arsenal will actually buy a defensive midfielder.

My money is going on ‘probably not’.