by Lewis Ambrose

It seems that Morgan Schneiderlin is on his way to Manchester United, and The Sunday Mirror are linking the Saints with a move for former Arsenal target Yohan Cabaye to replace him.

If the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder is available and keen to return to the Premier League it would be a slight surprise not to see Wenger go for him.

It appears that Arsenal manager Wenger has pulled out of the race for Schneiderlin, leaving Manchester United with the chance to snatch the player.

After being so close (on more than one occasion), if #AFC don’t make sure they land Schneiderlin, they’ve made a big mistake. #SaintsFC

— Connor Armstrong (@ConnorArmstrong) June 25, 2015

Arsenal have seemed to be interested in the Southampton midfielder for a while, but Wenger must be having his doubt now, particularly if he is going to spend as much as £24M on a player he would want to be certain he was the right man.

Alternatives

That leaves Arsenal with a handful of alternatives. Despite the rise of Francis Coquelin there are still some reservations about the way he plays – Arsenal are a disjointed side playing from the back, which Wenger insists upon, with Coquelin at the base of the midfield.

But is Wenger willing to sign someone to displace Coquelin entirely?

If not it means any big money transfers are off the table.

Yohan Cabaye – a man Wenger has bid for in the past – is a deep midfielder of the highest order. Secure in possession and already playing that role for the French national team, he has not managed to nail down a place in the PSG first team since his move back to Ligue 1.

West Ham and Crystal Palace are allegedly interested but if Wenger still wants him surely he could attract the player to Emirates Stadium.

We’ve missed out on Cabaye once before and, although I don’t expect a deal to happen which would bring the midfielder to Arsenal, something tells me Wenger would ultimately regret it if we allowed another Premier League side to sign him this summer.