Tough Value In The Arsenal Midfield

Samir Nasri played the second most minutes of the Arsenal midfielders last season, although that was still a season hindered by injuries. This week he suffered a fractured fibula in a leg clash with Abou Diaby while training in Austria; he is expected to be out for up to 3 months.

So if you were in the market for an EPL midfielder from Arsenal, which options would be worth considering now? Arshavin is practically a guarenteed starter, but his price might be prohibitive for those who have gone for a Gerrard + Lampard midfield solution. However, if the budget exists to bring Arshavin in, he is certainly a fine option and is likely to be in the goals (and points) this season.

Beyond that it is a gamble trying to pick regular starters at this stage from the Arsenal midfield. Wenger has a range of talented players he is likely to rotate throughout the season to accomodate injuries and Champions League matches.

Last season Denilson played the most minutes of the Arsenal midfield, but his points did not match his minutes and he is hardly a bonus point magnet. Fabregas is an excellent player and would make a fine midfield choice, but his gametime is tough to forecast and his track record of injuries is worrying. Rosicky is appropriately priced at £7.0m and will compete for early minutes with Walcott.

Overarching this is Arsenals's tough start to the season from an EPL Fantasy Football point of view. In the first 5 weeks they face Everton, a bye, Portsmouth, Man Utd and Man City. These fixtures are tougher than the other Big 3 clubs face, and none of Liverpool, Chelsea or Man Utd face a bye in Gameweek 3.

At this stage, Arsenal midfielders are a tricky proposition to recommend. Arshavin is expensive and beyond that Arsene's rotation policy, the tough early fixtures and the gameweek 3 bye mean larger point hauls may be found in the mids from the other Big 4 clubs.