Transfer Bin: Arsenal want Manchester United’s Tom Cleverley

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Arsenal have been linked with a move for Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley.

It’s not very often that the Daily Mirror appears in our transfer bin feature but they’ve come up with a belter of a rumour, which suggests Arsenal are interested in Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley.

Worry not Arsenal fans, because as your collective groans echo around North London, we’ll attempt to explain why this move won’t happen.

For starters, Arsenal’s central midfield reserves aren’t short on numbers and they don’t lack quality.

Mathieu Flamini, Mikel Arteta, Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Santi Cazorla, the list goes on and on.

The idea that Cleverley could impact and break into that group of players is doubtful despite the fact he’s been a well used squad player so far for the Old Trafford side this season.

Cleverly is also under contract at a club (until 2015) that doesn’t have a permanent manager and is unlikely to have one until after the World Cup this summer.

That suggests that Arsenal will have to wait until long after the World Cup before they can talk through a deal with United’s new boss over the possibility of signing Cleverley.

Will Arsene Wenger really wait and pass up time he could spend working on more pressing and needed transfers? It’s highly doubtful.

The stats suggest he would contribute to the Gunners in two areas; tackling and interceptions.

Cleverley is a good player when it comes to reading the game and breaking up the play but he’s nowhere near Mikel Arteta and behind several current Arsenal stars in terms of goals and assists, which are the two main attributes any manager is looking for with their midfielders.

The common theme and thought among Arsenal fans this season is that if they do sign a midfielder this summer, he needs to be someone who can come into the side with a real presence and make a real difference.

Cleverley won’t offer Arsenal’s midfield something they don’t already have and he’s certainly not the big, domineering figure Arsenal have been missing since the days of Patrick Vieira.

Rubbish Rating: It’s never going to happen and if it does, maybe Wenger should head off and start looking for his marbles.